The deputy Ukrainian defense minister stated that Russian attacks against the besieged eastern town of Bakhmut have “decreased”, as they replace their forces and regroup them, he said.
Hanna Maliar wrote in a Telegram message that “there are no active battles in the city or on the flanks.” “Instead, enemy shells are active on the outskirts.”
Last week, after months of intense fighting in Europe that had not been seen since World War II, the Kremlin declared complete control over the city. The celebrations in Kyiv were tempered by officials who insisted the city is not under Russian control.
Maliar stated Saturday that Ukrainian forces “firmly held” the heights over Bakhmut, both from the north-south and a portion of its outskirts, but they had not made any progress in the last two days, instead focusing on “other tasks.”
She said that the Russians had “bet heavily on air strikes and intense artillery fire.” She added that the decrease in enemy offensive activity was due to troops being replaced and regrouped. “The enemy is attempting to improve its own capabilities.”
She also said that Ukrainian forces “suspended their own advance” “in order for other tasks to be fulfilled.”
Her comments were made as Oleksandr Sryskyi, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces posted a video Saturday, which he claimed showed Ukrainian special forces inside the destroyed city.
NBC News was unable to independently verify this video.
In its daily intelligence report, the British defense ministry stated that the Wagner mercenary force, whose fighters were responsible for the expensive Russian push to Bakhmut, “likely” had begun to withdraw from certain positions within the city.
Yevgeny Prgozhin is the millionaire owner of Wagner, who has long-standing links with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that his troops had begun to withdraw from their positions and were now handing control over to Russian military.
Prigozhin’s Bakhmut victory delivered a much-needed victory for Putin. His invasion of Ukraine, scheduled to take place in February 2022, has lost momentum. Now, he faces the possibility that a highly anticipated Ukrainian offensive using advanced weapons provided by Kyiv’s Western allies.
On Saturday, Commander-in Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi posted a video on his Telegram account showing his troops taking an oath of allegiance and preparing to fight.
He wrote: “The time is now to get back what belongs to us.”
On Saturday, Mikhail Vedernikov, the local governor, said that an attack by drones near the border of Belarus caused an explosion in Russia’s Pskov Region.
He added that the administrative building of an oil pipeline was damaged.
Vedernikov didn’t blame Ukraine for the incident, but Moscow has in the past blamed Kyiv.
