Bakhmout: Russian and Ukrainian soldiers fiercely fight over the ravaged city
A Ukrainian soldier fires a 120 mm mortar against Russian positions, near Bakhtmout, on December 30, 2022. AFP - SAMEER AL-DOUMY
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1 min
In eastern Ukraine, fighting between Russians and Ukrainians is still just as violent and deadly for control of Bakhmout.
The Russian army, which has been seeking to conquer the city for months, claims advances but Ukrainian forces continue to put up fierce resistance,
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Pro-Russian separatists from the Donetsk region claim to have taken control of the village of Bakhmoutské, located northeast of Bakhmout, just next to the town of Soledar.
A Telegram channel close to the Wagner Group reports that Yevgeny Prigojine declares that his mercenaries are engaged in a fierce struggle for the capture of the Soledar administration building.
He also wanted to point out that only his Wagner militiamen were engaged in this battle.
The steamroller strategy
For their part, Ukrainian sources acknowledge that violent fighting is taking place, without admitting any breakthrough from the opposing camp.
The Russian forces continue their technique of the steamroller and operate the artillery at full speed: Bakhmout is a city largely destroyed.
Yesterday, Sunday January 8, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said that "
the situation was very difficult
" in Soledar.
The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Olexandr Syrsky, went there the same day.
Reinforcements of additional units on the front line in Soledar as in Bakhmout have been announced.
"
Reprisals
"
Without really stopping on this Orthodox Christmas weekend, hostilities resumed with more vigor.
Yesterday, the Russian army claimed to have carried out strikes on barracks in Kramatorsk, in “
reprisal
” to the extremely deadly Ukrainian bombardment in Makiïvka, going as far as mentioning 600 victims.
Several media who visited the site doubt the Russian assertions.
Several pro-Russian military bloggers simply accuse the Russian Ministry of Defense of lying.
►Also read
: Ukraine: “Many of ours are dead but even more Russians are dying”
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