On Saturday, the Ukrainian army confirmed it had made “progress” near the city of Bakhmut, the center of months of fighting in eastern Ukraine, while Russia, for its part, spoke of making progress inside the ruined city, which is largely under its control.
The defensive operation continues.
“In some sectors of the front, our soldiers are advancing, the enemy is recording losses in numbers and equipment,” Alexander Sersky, commander of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said on social networks. “The defensive operation in the direction of Bakhmut continues,” he added.
On Friday, Ukraine announced that its troops had returned part of the land surrounding the city, and Moscow confirmed that it had repulsed the attack along a wide section of the front line.
Conflicting reports
Meanwhile, conflicting reports from the front point to increased fighting intensity after months of relative stability.
For its part, Moscow confirmed on Saturday that it was advancing into Bakhmut and had taken control of an “area in the northwestern part” of the city.
The message of the Russian Ministry of Defense states that “offensive units liberated a microdistrict in the northwestern part of the city of Artemovsk” (the Russian name for Bakhmut).
Russia controls most of Bakhmut
Russian forces control about 95% of the city, which is under massive destruction.
The Battle of Bakhmut is the longest and bloodiest since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Search for victory
Observers underestimate Russia’s taking full control of the city from a strategic point of view, but it will allow Moscow to boast of a military victory after a series of retreats in recent months.
On the other hand, Kyiv reaffirms its intention to wear down the Russian army as much as possible by focusing on the area before launching a counteroffensive to try to reclaim the occupied territories in the east and south.
Germany aid package
These field developments come as Germany announced on Saturday that it is preparing a new €2.7 billion arms package for Ukraine, the largest allocation from Berlin since the beginning of the Russian invasion last year.
Kyiv said the big package was a new sign that Russia would lose the war against Ukraine.
Russia is doomed to defeat.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak welcomed the new German aid, saying it “directly shows that (…) Russia is doomed to defeat.”
Kyiv calls for more support, especially since it is preparing for a counterattack.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he had discussed with his American counterpart Anthony Blinken the issue of arms supplies to his country.
“I stressed the importance of providing F-16s to Ukraine and starting the necessary steps to train Ukrainian pilots,” he said.
