Ukraine claims its forces advance in various sections in front line in Bakhmut

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine claimed on Wednesday that its forces made advances in various sections of the front line with Russia, near the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut.

“The east remains the epicenter of hostilities. In the direction of Bakhmut, our troops switched from defensive to offensive. Over the past day, we have advanced from 200 to 1,100 meters (around 650-3,600 ft) in various sections of the Bakhmut direction,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram.

Maliar claimed that Russian forces in Bakhmut switched to defensive roles to hold positions under their control, and that Moscow is withdrawing its reserves in this direction for protection.

She also claimed that forces of the Wagner paramilitary group remain in some areas, adding that regular Russian forces are “conducting hostilities and deploying amphibious assault units.”

“It is possible to hold the defense of the Bakhmut direction for so long and now to advance on it, thanks to the fortifications prepared in advance. The entire surrounding area is actually a fortified district,” she said.

Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a statement that its forces repelled eight attempts by Ukrainian forces to break through defenses in the region, but that they did not achieve their goal.

A day earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu claimed that the Ukrainian military launched “long-promised” counteroffensives in various parts of the front line in the past three days, which he claimed, were repelled.

The city of Bakhmut, a transport and logistics hub in the Donetsk region, a part of the largely Russian-speaking industrialized Donbas region, which last year Moscow claimed to have annexed, has been the center of intense fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

On May 20, the Russian Defense Ministry and the Wagner paramilitary group claimed that their forces took complete control of the city.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied the claims in a news conference after the Group of Seven summit in Japan last month.​​​​​​​