The chief of staff of the Ukrainian armies said that his troops had managed to "
stabilize
" the situation around Bakhmout, the epicenter for eight months of fighting against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
The " most difficult
" situation
on the front line is "
around Bakhmout
", said late Friday evening Valery Zaluzhny, during a telephone call with the Chief of the British Defense Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.
“
Thanks to the tremendous efforts of the defense forces, we manage to stabilize the situation
,” Valery Zaluzhny wrote on Facebook.
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This city, which had around 70,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022 but which is now deserted by civilians, is the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle since the outbreak of the war.
Russian forces sometimes report hard-won territory around the city, which has become more of a symbol than a strategic site from a purely military point of view as the fighting continues.
Russian forces 'exhausted'
According to a report from the British intelligence services published on Saturday, "
Russia's offensive on the city of Bakhmout, in the Donbass region, is largely at a standstill
".
“
This is most likely primarily the result of extreme attrition of Russian forces
,” the British said in a statement, noting that Kiev had also “
suffered heavy human losses
.”
Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandre Syrsky said Thursday on Telegram that a counter-offensive could "
very soon " be launched against "
exhausted
" Russian forces
near Bakhmout.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Ukrainian troops near the Bakhmut frontline on Wednesday.
In recent weeks, Russian forces have advanced north and south of Bakhmut, cutting off several Ukrainian supply routes.
Yevgeny Prigojine, head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner whose men are on the front line in this battle, said Monday that his forces controlled about 70% of the city.