"Wagner" talks about an expected Ukrainian plan in Bakhmut and a message in Congress to supply Kiev with qualitative weapons

The commander of the Russian military "Wagner" group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, confirmed that the Ukrainian forces are preparing for a counterattack in the city of Bakhmut, where fierce battles are taking place, while lawmakers in the US Congress called on President Joe Biden's administration to provide Kiev with qualitative weapons.

In statements he made on Tuesday, Prigozhin said that about 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers are permanently present in and around Bakhmut, and that between 12 and 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers are present within the borders of the city, which is located in the north of Donetsk canton in the Donbas region (eastern Ukraine).

He explained that in addition to this number, the Ukrainian forces are mobilizing 20,000 soldiers in preparation for the upcoming counterattack, which raises the total number of Ukrainian military personnel to 70,000, he said.

The commander of the Wagner Group, which has been leading the attack on Bakhmut since last August, said that his fighters are stationed near the Bakhmut City Council.

This militia had previously announced its control of the eastern part of Bakhmut, and announced in the past two days that it was advancing towards the city center.

And last Sunday, the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, General Oleksandr Sersky, confirmed that the counterattack that his forces were preparing for in Bakhmut was not far off.

Defense of Bakhmut

Yesterday evening, Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the meeting of the Supreme Command of the Army had taken a decision to continue preserving the city of Bakhmut and to strengthen its defenses.

Zelinsky added that senior Ukrainian military leaders prefer to defend the sector that includes the city of Bakhmut and inflict the greatest losses on the Russian forces.

This is the second time in less than two weeks that the Ukrainian leadership has announced that it has decided to continue fighting in Bakhmut, after speculation recently spread that Kiev might withdraw its forces from the city.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that its forces are advancing from the northwest side of Bakhmut.

For its part, the French Press Agency reported that munitions containing white phosphorus were fired yesterday from Russian sites towards an uninhabited area in the city of Chasev Yar, adjacent to the city of Bakhmut.

The agency broadcasted pictures that it said were of fires in cultivated areas on both sides of a road in the southern suburbs linking the city to Bakhmut.

Fire caused by falling phosphorous bombs in Bakhmut (French)

Kiev accuses Moscow of using phosphorus-containing munitions repeatedly since the start of the war, including against civilians, which the Russian army vehemently denies.

Also in Donetsk, fierce fighting is taking place around the city of Kremina and other towns in the north of the province.

Anna Malyar, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, said that Russian forces are launching attacks throughout Donetsk province, and added that the Battle of Bakhmut is very important because it inflicted heavy losses on the Russians in lives and equipment and limited their ability to advance.

In other field developments, the governor of the Russian province of Belgorod said today, Wednesday, that the air defenses shot down 3 missiles over the city of Belgorod and its surroundings.

In Kherson (south), local authorities said that Russian bombing of the province resulted in civilian casualties.

Supplying Ukraine with fighters

On the other hand, POLITICO said that it had seen a letter from US senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties, in which they demanded that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin provide Ukraine with American F-16 fighters.

The American news site added that the eight lawmakers who signed the letter believe that the F-16 fighters could change the rules of the game on the battlefield as the war enters its second year.

Politico reported that members had asked Secretary Austin to provide them with assessments by the end of the week on the terms needed to supply Ukraine with the fighters.

Ukraine demands that these fighters be provided to it to support the operations of its forces, which, according to military reports, are preparing for a major counterattack this spring to expel the Russian forces from the lands they have controlled since the war began more than a year ago.

However, the United States and other Western allies have so far refrained from responding to Kiev's request, pointing out that supplying Ukraine with "F-16" fighters increases the risks of direct confrontation with Russia.