The Ukrainian armed forces confirmed Tuesday night, on the Telegram social network, that one of the Russian brigades trying to take control of the city of Bakhmut abandoned its positions, leaving 500 soldiers dead.
“It’s official. Prigozhin’s information [líder da brigada militar privada russa Wagner] about the escape of the 72 brigade of the Russian armed forces and the ‘500 corpses’ that the Russians left behind are true,” reads the message posted on the official account of the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade.
In one of the videos about the situation at the front, Prigozhin had already accused the 72nd brigade of the Russian army of abandoning their positions after losing “three square kilometers” in a strategic area, in which the Russians lost 500 men.
“They took things and just ran away,” Prigozhin said.
The remarks by the Russian oligarch and head of the Wagner group, whose fighters were hired to fight in Bakhmut, were broadcast at the same time as the traditional May 9 (Victory Day) parade, marking the capitulation of Nazi Germany, in 1945. .
On Tuesday night, in a message posted on Telegram, the Ukrainian army’s 3rd Separate Brigade said it had eliminated 64 Russian fighters and wounded 87 others in two days in southeastern Bakhmut, where Ukrainian forces continue to defend part of the city they still control. .
“Among the Russian victims are mercenaries from the Wagner group,” says the note from the Ukrainian brigade, which also reports the capture of five Russian prisoners of war and the destruction of Russian military equipment.
Russia launched its offensive against Bakhmut in August last year. Despite controlling most of the territory in this region, the Russian forces have not yet succeeded in completely expelling the Ukrainians from this small town, where they have invested considerable technical and human resources.
Ukraine also suffered significant casualties defending Bakhmut. Kiev justifies their insistence on defending the last positions of the city with the fact that they want to wear down the Russian troops and prevent them from launching offensive actions in other segments of the combat front.
Source: TSF
