The head of the Russian military special group Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Thursday that Ukrainian units began a counterattack and are approaching the vicinity of the eastern Ukrainian city of Pakhmut, while the Russian Defense Ministry said that its paratroopers support offensive operations in the city.
In an audio message on his Telegram channel, Prigozhin said the Ukrainian operations were proving to be "unfortunately partially successful."
He said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had been "disingenuous" when he said the counterattack had been postponed pending more aid from foreign countries.
Prigozhin said the counteroffensive was actually proceeding at full speed around Bachmut.
Ukraine's military said on Wednesday that its forces had inflicted a crushing defeat on a Russian army unit near Pakhmut, acknowledged by the head of the Wagner Group.
Prigozhin has repeatedly accused senior Russian defence ministry officials of depriving his forces of ammunition and blaming them for setbacks around Bachmut.
Chairman of the Wagner military group Yevgeny Prigozhin (Reuters - Archive)
Russian support with paratroopers
However, the Russian Defense Ministry did not speak - in its daily briefing on Thursday - of any retreat and said that the forces continued their advance in Bachmut.
The ministry said "combat groups continue their attack on the western part" of the city, adding that "paratroopers provided support to them and stopped Ukrainian army units on the outskirts."
Meanwhile, Ukraine's president said in an interview with the BBC on Thursday that "the military still needs time to prepare for a large-scale counterattack on Russian forces."
"We can carry forward with what we have, achieve success, but we will lose a lot of people. I think this is unacceptable, so we have to wait. We still need some extra time."
Long range missiles
On the other hand, Britain announced on Thursday that it will provide Ukraine with cruise missiles of the type "Storm Shadow" or "Storm Shadow", to be the first country to send long-range weapons to Kiev.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "Today, I can confirm that the UK is providing Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.
"Granting these weapons systems gives Ukraine the best chance to defend itself against Russia's continued brutality."
The Storm Shadow missiles are air-launched and can be operated in harsh conditions, and have been used by British and French forces in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya.
Britain is the second-largest provider of military aid to Ukraine, providing anti-tank missiles, artillery weapons and air defence systems.
London announced a significant increase in military support for Kiev in January, including the supply of 14 Challenger 2 tanks.
According to a report on military aid since the start of the Russian war submitted to the British House of Commons, "as the conflict in Ukraine has evolved, so have the types of weapons that have been provided."