The spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces in the east of the country, Serhii Cherevaty, said Russian forces were exhausted and had been massacred in the town of Bakhmut in recent hours.
“On the last day alone, there were 40 battles, with 190 occupants killed, 244 wounded and another 15 captured,” Cherevaty told the national television news service.
The spokesman also mentioned the destruction of three Russian tanks and five ammunition depots in the area.
“This indicates that our operation is continuing successfully,” said Cherevaty, adding that the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which led the Russian attacks on Bakhmut, in the east of the country and the scene of Ukraine’s longest battle, “did not its deadlines”.
According to the spokesman, who emphasized the low motivation of Russian troops, Moscow’s campaign in the city is affected by the replacement of Wagner’s mercenaries by Russian regular army units with little will to fight.
Cherevaty also said Ukrainian troops pushed back Russian troops an estimated distance of between 250 meters and a mile.
Hours earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar had alleged that Ukrainian forces had forced the Russians in half in the Bakhmut area.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14.7 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 8.2 million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
At least 18 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
The UN presented as confirmed since the start of the war, which this Friday entered its 441st day, 8,791 civilian deaths and 14,815 wounded, underlining that these numbers are far below the real ones.
Source: DN
