The Ukrainian army intends to "strengthen" its positions in Bakhmut, the epicenter of fighting with Russian troops in the east of the country:
the Ukrainian presidency said today, following rumors of a possible withdrawal of Kiev forces from the city.
The commanders-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces "voiced in favor of continuing the defensive operation and strengthening our positions in Bakhmut" during a meeting today with the head of state Volodymyr Zelensky, the presidency said in a statement.
The statement came at the end of a meeting of Zelensky with the military command
, in which the situation in Bakhmut was discussed in detail, during which the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny and the commander of the operational troop group- strategic Khortytsia, Oleksandr Syrsky, spoke out in favor of continuing the defense of Bakhmut.
All this after
Bild informed that there is an open clash between Zelensky and General Zaluzhny over the decisions regarding Bakhmut
According to information from various sources of the Ukrainian political leadership, cited by the German newspaper, Zaluzhny a few weeks ago recommended considering the possibility of leave Bakhmut for tactical reasons, while the head of state has a completely different opinion on Bakhmut.
For his part, the US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, said that
Bakhmut has more symbolic than operational importance and his eventual fall would not necessarily give an impetus to Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
Austin didn't predict when - or if - the town would be captured by Russian forces, but added: "Bakhmut's fall won't necessarily mean the Russians have turned the tide of this battle."
And the head of the Russian Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny
Prigozhin, has once again complained of the lack of ammunition at the front - where his mercenaries are mainly engaged in Bakhmut
- and is once again speaking of "betrayal" by Moscow for the delays in deliveries.
"Orders were given for delivery on February 23. But so far most of the ammunition has not been sent," Prigozhin said in a message posted on social networks last night.
And he cites two possible reasons for the delay: "Ordinary bureaucracy or treason."
The fighters of the Wagner group are at the forefront of the battle for Bakhmut.
Last month Prigozhin had harshly criticized Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, accusing them of committing "treason" by refusing to supply ammunition to his group.
A few days later, he announced that the ammunition would finally be delivered.
However, in a video released late Saturday evening, Prigozhin still complains - among other things - about the failure to deliver ammunition and warns that "if Wagner withdraws from Bakhmut now, the entire front will collapse".
