Hard fighting for Bachmut: Russia makes gains on a new front in the Ukraine war

Created: 12/14/2022 5:01 p.m

By: Christian Stör

In the Ukraine war, Russia focuses on the battle for the city of Bakhmut.

Now the Wagner mercenaries seem to have had a small success.

Bakhmut - Heavy fighting in the Donbass town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine continues.

But now Russia seems to have achieved a marginal success on the new front in the Ukraine war.

According to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), forces from the notorious Wagner Group broke through Ukrainian defenses in the eastern part of Bakhmut on Tuesday (December 14) and took control of that part of the city.

The US think tank cited Russian sources in its daily update.

For example, the pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar reported on Tuesday that Russian assault groups are also advancing north-east of Bakhmut, claiming that the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is conducting an “emergency rotation of personnel to maintain combat capability.”

Russian military bloggers also claimed, according to ISW, that Russian troops are advancing on several roads in the southeastern and eastern sectors of Bakhmut.

Aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

© Libkos/dpa

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian General Staff announced that Ukrainian troops continued to repel Russian attacks northeast of Bakhmut at Verkhnokamyanske, Soledar, Yakovlivka and Bakhmutske and south of Bakhmut at Klitschschiyevka, Kurdiumovka and Mayorsk.

News on the Ukraine war: Putin wants to conquer Bakhmut at any price

The city of Bakhmut has been attacked by Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops for months, so far without much success.

At the forefront of the struggle in Bakhmut is the Wagner Group, founded by Putin's ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, also known as "Putin's cook".

Since withdrawing from the city of Kherson, Russia has been concentrating on the front around Bakhmut.

The capture of the region would give the Russian army a morale boost after a series of military defeats.

Apparently, Moscow keeps throwing new soldiers into battle.

"It seems that the enemy has infinite human resources," Volodymyr Nazarenko, a deputy commander of a unit of Ukraine's National Guard fighting in the region, told Ukrainian media.

“The front areas of Bakhmut were completely destroyed.

The rest of the city is under constant enemy fire, the enemy is destroying the city." (cs)