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| Photo: LIBKOS/Associated Press |
The commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, said the front lines around the eastern city of Bakhmut were stabilizing after months of grueling combat, as Western officials and analysts say Russia’s offensive there is losing momentum.
While there have been fewer clashes in Bakhmut in recent days, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military’s eastern command said it was too soon to conclude Russia’s offensive there had run out of steam.
“The coming week will tell,” Serhiy Cherevatyi said. “For now, Bakhmut remains the epicenter of military operations, the area of the main enemy attack.”
Russian forces have moved to encircle Bakhmut in recent weeks while also intensifying attacks across the broader front line in eastern Ukraine, putting Kyiv on the defensive after a string of victories last year.
In a call on Friday with Britain’s chief of the defense staff, Adm. Tony Radakin, Gen. Zaluzhny said Bakhmut remained the most challenging spot along the front line, but that recent moves to shore up Ukraine’s defenses were blunting Russian attacks.
“The tremendous efforts of Ukraine’s defense forces have enabled us to stabilize the situation there,” Gen. Zaluzhny said, according to a readout of the call offered by Ukraine.
The U.K.’s Defense Ministry echoed that assessment on Saturday, saying that Russia’s assault on Bakhmut had largely stalled, primarily as a result of what it called “extreme attrition”—a reference to Russia’s heavy losses of men and equipment.
Ukraine has also suffered heavy casualties defending the city, the ministry said.
Ukraine’s leadership doubled down on the defense of Bakhmut as Russian forces sent waves of soldiers against Ukrainian positions and threatened to sever the last supply lines into the city.
By holding on to the city, Ukraine has sought to prevent Russia from making progress toward its goal of seizing the rest of the eastern Donetsk region, while weakening its capacity to mount further offensives. --->READ MORE HERE
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| AP Photo/Libkos |
The top commander of Ukraine’s military said Saturday that his forces were pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut, and British military intelligence says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine.
“The Bakhmut direction is the most difficult. Thanks to the titanic efforts of the defense forces, the situation is being stabilized,” Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in a post on Telegram giving a synopsis of a telephone call with Adm. Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defense staff.
The seven-month fight for Bakhmut, where Russian forces have closed in on three sides, is the longest battle of the war, with Russia deploying both regular soldiers and fighters of the mercenary Wagner Group.
Russian forces must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of the eastern Donbas region, though Western officials say the capture of the city would have limited impact on the course of the war.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence update that “Russia’s assault on the Donbas town of Bakhmut has largely stalled. This is likely primarily a result of extreme attrition of the Russian force.” --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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