In the Ukraine war, the situation in Bakhmut is getting worse and worse. The Russian side allegedly suffers "significant losses." Wagner boss Prigozhin reacts. The news ticker.
- Successes in Bakhmut: Ukraine gains territory in the fiercely contested city.
- President Zelensky: Counteroffensive in the Ukraine war still needs time.
- Offensive near Bakhmut: Wagner boss Prigozhin warns Russia and fears encirclement.
Update from May 12, 9:50 a.m.: According to information from Kyiv, the Ukrainian army has recaptured two kilometers of territory in the city of Bakhmut, which has been embattled for months, from Russia. The Russian side has suffered "significant losses," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malijar said on online networks. Ukraine, on the other hand, has "not given up a single position" in Bakhmut since the beginning of the week.
In the Ukraine war, the situation in Bakhmut is getting worse and worse. The Russian side allegedly suffers "significant losses." Wagner boss Prigozhin reacts. © IMAGO/Pool /Wagner Group
Meanwhile, according to information from Nexta, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has called on Russian Defense Minister Shoigu to see for himself the situation in Bakhmut. A letter to this effect was published on Twitter.
"In view of the difficult operational situation and your many years of combat experience, I ask you to come to Bakhmut, which is under the control of Russian military units, and independently assess the situation," Prigozhin said.
The relationship between Prigozhin and Shoigu is considered tense. In the past, the mercenary chief has publicly complained several times about what he sees as a lack of support from the Ministry of Defense – and also attacked Shoigu personally. The invitation can also be understood as a mockery – especially the insertion with the "many years of combat experience". Although Shoigu has the title of army general, he never served in the armed forces, which Russian military bloggers have repeatedly criticized.
Ukraine war: Russian units threatened with encirclement
Update from May 12, 6:50 a.m.: According to a war correspondent for Russian state television, the Russian troops fighting in Bakhmut are on high alert. Because of the Ukrainian successes in the attack on the flanks of the Wagner mercenary troop fighting in the city, there is a threat of a comprehensive encirclement, Yevgeny Poddubny wrote on Telegram on Thursday. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had previously warned several times of an imminent cauldron due to unsecured flanks.
Ukrainian army spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi reported in the evening of desperate attempts by Russian units to stop the further advance of the Ukrainians with massive artillery strikes and air strikes. The intensity of the fighting has increased, Cherevatyi said, according to the Unian agency. On Thursday alone, 165 Russian soldiers were killed and another 216 wounded, he claimed. His statements could not be verified, nor could those of the other side.
A Ukrainian soldier fires on Russian troops in Bakhmut. © IMAGO/Mykhaylo Palinchak
Ukraine with successes in Bakhmut
Update from May 11, 21:40 p.m.: Ukraine seems to be achieving success in the battle for Bakhmut - and thus also causing unrest in Russia. State television is extremely worried about news that the Ukrainian armed forces have been able to achieve success in Soledar, north of Bakhmut. It is now feared that Russian troops will be encircled in the city. This was written by Russian military blogger Yevgeny Poddubny on Telegram.
Update from May 11, 20:03 p.m.: Kiev can probably already rely on new fighter jets from the West. According to the Polish EU embassy, 14 MiG-29 aircraft have already reached Ukraine. This was announced by the diplomatic department via Twitter. In total, Poland has provided 325 tanks for the fight against Russia - more than any other country in the EU.
Russia continues missile strikes
Update from May 11, 17:50 p.m.: Russia has apparently attacked the city of Toretsk in the Ukraine war. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, missiles hit the city in eastern Ukraine. At least six civilians were injured, a spokesman for Ukraine said via Telegram.
Update from May 11, 17:10 p.m.: Negotiations in the Ukraine war between Turkey and Russia continue in Istanbul. Both sides are hoping for another extension of the grain agreement, which was first agreed in July 2022.
Ukraine apparently achieves successes in the battle for Bakhmut
Update from May 11, 16:19 p.m.: Videos show Ukrainian soldiers on combat duty, apparently very close to Bakhmut. They are disseminated by the Third Brigade of the Ukrainian Army. This is reported by n-tv. The images are supposed to show how the 72nd Brigade of the Russian army is being driven to flight. "Unfortunately, they have not yet destroyed the entire brigade. Two companies were seriously damaged," Sergji Cherewatji, spokesman for the Eastern Force, said in the video.
Earlier, increased Russian attacks on Bakhmut were reported from Moscow. "The assault detachments in the Donetsk region continue their attacks in the western part of the city of Artyomovsk (Soviet name of Bakhmut). The Airborne Forces supported them in this, tying up the units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the flanks," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday.
Update from May 11, 13:57 p.m.: The Russian military will "adequately respond" to a possible supply of British cruise missiles to Ukraine, according to the presidential office in Moscow. According to Die Welt, spokesman Dmitry Peskov explains this in response to a question about a CNN report that Britain has supplied Ukraine with several long-range missiles of the "Storm Shadow" type. The British Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the report.
London delivers new missiles to Kyiv – annexed Crimea within reach
Update from May 11, 12:30 p.m.: Britain has supplied Ukraine with longer-range missiles as announced, according to a CNN report. The "Storm Shadow" projectiles could reach targets on the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, the US broadcaster reported on Thursday (11 May). The British Ministry of Defense did not want to comment on request, referring to a planned statement in parliament later today. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had announced the delivery during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February.
The air-launched missiles, which were jointly developed by Britain and France, have a range of more than 250 kilometers, according to CNN. A senior U.S. military official called the weapon a "game changer," also in view of the planned major Ukrainian offensive. A Western official told the broadcaster that Ukraine had assured Britain that it would only use the Storm Shadow within its own territory recognized under international law and not against targets in Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky on counteroffensive: "We need a little more time"
Update from May 11, 11:15 a.m.: In an interview with several media outlets, including the BBC, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the country needs more time to prepare for the much-anticipated counteroffensive in the spring.
"We can move forward and be successful. But we would lose a lot of people. I think this is unacceptable. So we'll have to wait and see. We need a little more time," Zelenskyy said. He further emphasized that the army has combat brigades that are ready, but that the promised armored vehicles are still missing, which are slow to arrive.
Ukraine war: Drone hits Russian tank farm
Update from May 11, 10:15 a.m.: In the Russian border region not far from Ukraine, according to official information, a tank farm and an administrative building have been attacked with drones. The drone dropped an explosive device over the warehouse, partially damaging an oil tank, Bryansk Region Governor Alexander Bogomas wrote on Telegram on Thursday (11 May). He did not give any further details about the building.
On social networks, it was said that it was supposed to be a military site. No one is said to have been injured in either case. Bogomas blamed Ukraine for the attacks, from there there was initially no reaction.
Ukraine war: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks of "difficult military operation"
Update from May 11, 8:55 a.m.: The Russian military operation against Ukraine is "very difficult" but will continue, the Tass news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying to a Bosnian TV channel on Wednesday (10 May).
Russia has managed to severely damage the Ukrainian military apparatus, and this work will continue, he added in a long interview, in which he repeated many of the arguments put forward by Moscow about this conflict. "The special military operation continues. This is a very difficult operation, and, of course, certain goals have been achieved in a year," Peskov was quoted as saying.
Ukraine war: Russian troops pushed back near Bakhmut
Initial report: Kyiv – According to its own statements, the Ukrainian army has pushed back Russian troops near Bakhmut in places. "We are conducting effective counterattacks there," Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Telegram on Wednesday evening. On some sections of the front of the city in eastern Ukraine, which has been heavily contested for months, Russian troops have retreated by up to two kilometers.
According to Syrskyj's account, the Wagner battle units deployed at Bakhmut have been replaced in some sections by regular Russian army units. These less well-trained units have now been defeated, Syrskyj said. However, the battle for Bakhmut continues.
Initially, it was not possible to independently verify the information provided by the Ukrainian military about their successes.
Ukraine war: Mercenary chief Prigozhin fears encirclement near Bakhmut
The head of the mercenary troop Wagner fears an encirclement of his unit in the battles for Bakhmut. "In the face of a lack of ammunition, the "meat grinder" now threatens to turn in the opposite direction," Yevgeny Prigozhin wrote on Telegram on Wednesday evening. Due to high losses, Wagner had to leave the flank protection to regular units of the Russian army, which, according to the reports of the Ukrainian military, were significantly pushed back. "There is now a serious danger of encircling Wagner due to the collapse of the flanks," Prigozhin wrote. "And the flanks are already cracking and crumbling."
Ukraine has been resisting a Russian invasion for over 14 months. The city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, held by Ukrainian troops, has been a focus of hostilities for months. A major counteroffensive by the Ukrainian army has been expected for weeks.
Ukraine war: Russians loot industrial zones near Zaporizhzhia
Parallel to the evacuation of the civilian population in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine, which they control, the Russian occupiers have also begun looting and dismantling in the industrial zones there, according to information from Kiev. In Enerhodar, all the city's medical facilities were completely looted, the Ukrainian General Staff said in its situation report. All the medical equipment was brought to Simferopol on the also occupied Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Again, this information could not be independently verified.
In anticipation of a Ukrainian offensive to retake occupied territories, the Russian occupation authorities began some time ago to evacuate civilians from the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is controlled by occupying forces, to the south.
Ukraine war: Czech Republic delivers two anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine
The Czech Republic is providing Ukraine with two Soviet-type 2K12 Kub anti-aircraft missile systems. The delivery includes a "relatively large number of missiles," said Czech President Petr Pavel. According to him, Ukraine can use this technique immediately, as its soldiers are familiar with it. The system can, for example, protect tank formations from attacks from the air. As a further possibility, the ex-general brought up considerations of providing Kiev with Aero L-159 light fighter jets.
Zelensky: Russian tyranny will not reign anywhere
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised his compatriots that he would completely expel the Russian occupiers from the country with foreign support. "We will not leave a single piece of our country to the enemy - tyranny will not reign anywhere," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Wednesday. "Let's not forget that every day that the occupier is on our land is a temptation for him to believe that he will succeed," Zelensky said. "He won't succeed! We need to bring freedom, security and Europe back to the entire Ukrainian land."
The reconstruction of the war-torn country is already being prepared with foreign aid, Zelensky said - from business and industry to armaments, energy, infrastructure and education to social affairs and health care. "Now, in May, we will finalize the specific points of these state programs, and in June we will work on our plans with our (foreign) partners," Zelensky said. "Here, in Ukraine, the world will see what Europe is capable of." (with agency material)