Russian forces are continuing to make gains in Bakhmut but are suffering “significant casualties”, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
It comes as a Ukrainian general says Russia is sending more elite troops including special forces to support the Wagner Group in the battle for the besieged city in the east of the country.
“The defence forces exhausted the Wagnerites. The enemy is forced to involve special forces and airborne assault units in the battles for Bakhmut,” said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces.
He added that Vladimir Putin’s soldiers are “actively using their artillery and aviation, destroying the city that they cannot capture”.
This comes a day after a Russia-backed official said that Moscow’s forces control more than 75 per cent of Bakhmut but cautioned that it is still too early to talk about the besieged city’s fall.
Meanwhile, Kyiv maintains that its war plans remain largely un-impacted by the leak of dozens of secret US documents regarding the situation in Ukraine, though “specific tactics” were subject to change.
US officials are trying to trace the source of the leak, the worst to hit the American military in many years.
Key Points
- Russia forces make gains in Bakhmut but suffer ‘significant casualties’, says US think-tank
- Putin sending special forces, airborne units to help out Wagner
- UN tally of confirmed civilian deaths nears 8,500
- Russia claims 75% of Bakhmut captured
- Ukraine says Russia using 'scorched earth' tactics in Bakhmut
- Tactics will change, not strategic moves, says Ukraine after leaks
Putin sending special forces, airborne units to help out Wagner
05:43 , Arpan RaiUkrainian Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi has said that Russia is sending more forces to help out the Wagner Group in the besieged sector of Bakhmut amid signs of fatigue.
He said that Moscow is sending in special forces and airborne units to help their attack on Bakhmut, as members of Russia’s private mercenary Wagner Group, who have spearheaded the Bakhmut assault, were exhausted.
Ukraine’s general staff said Russian forces had made unsuccessful advances on areas west of Bakhmut and at least 10 towns and villages had come under Russian shelling, including Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar.
A Ukrainian counter-offensive is looming and is long been expected to begin soon after months of attritional warfare in the east.
A Russian winter offensive failed to make much progress, and its troops have made only small advances at huge cost.
The Ukrainian defenders have also taken heavy casualties.
UN tally of confirmed civilian deaths nears 8,50011:50 , Joe MiddletonNearly 8,500 civilians are confirmed to have been killed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a U.N. body said on Tuesday, with many thousands more unverified deaths still feared.The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it had recorded 8,490 people killed and 14,244 injured between the launch of the invasion of Feb. 24, 2022, and April 9, 2023.