Turn in the western outskirts of Bakhmut: the third assault brigade advanced 2,000 meters wide and 700 meters deep, 50 Russian soldiers were killed and 4 were taken prisoner. "An offensive operation was carried out on the western outskirts of Bakhmut, creating a bridgehead for further counteroffensive," the third separate brigade announced, as reported by Ukrainian media, announcing that several Russian weapons warehouses had been destroyed.
A few hours earlier, the representative of the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Sergey Cherevaty reported that Ukrainian forces continue the advance in the direction of Bakhmut and killed 130 Russians in battle and captured 4. "Bakhmut remains the epicenter of hostilities in eastern Ukraine. During the fighting, our units, despite there being no advantage in terms of personnel, shells and equipment, continue to advance on the flanks," Cherevaty stressed.
For his part, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, accused regular units of the Russian army of retreating 570 meters north of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, leaving the flanks of his own fighters uncovered. "Unfortunately, units of the Russian Defense Ministry retreated up to 570 meters north of Bakhmut, exposing our flanks," Prigozhin said in a voice message. "I appeal to the heads of the Ministry of Defense publicly, because my letters are not read," Prigozhin said.
And the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in its daily report on the progress of the conflict in Ukraine, reports that despite the limited nature of the counterattacks of Ukrainian forces, Russian troops are losing the initiative in the Bakhmut area. The report said Russian and Ukrainian officials acknowledged yesterday that Kiev forces continue to launch limited counterattacks in the area of the disputed city. In particular, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Ukrainian troops are advancing in unspecified directions on Bakhmut's flanks.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry said its airborne troops had made little progress, but acknowledged continued Ukrainian counterattacks on the flanks of Bakhmut near Bohdanivka (5 km northwest of Bakhmut) and Ivanivske (6 km west of
Bakhmut). An influential military blogger complained that Russian troops must now respond to Ukrainian actions, implying that Moscow soldiers are losing the initiative in the Bakhmut area, despite the limited nature of Ukrainian counterattacks in the area.