In a post on Telegram on Friday, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister, Hanna Maljar, wrote that Ukraine this week advanced about two kilometers around Bachmut and that it had not "lost a single position."
"It seems likely that Ukraine has regained terrain, probably both north and south of the city," says Joakim Paasikivi, lieutenant colonel and teacher of military strategy at the Swedish Defence University.
Russia movement of troops
Russia's Defense Ministry initially stated that reports of Ukrainian successes at Bachmut "do not correspond to reality," but in an updated statement on Friday, the Defense Ministry claimed that Russian troops north of Bachmut have changed positions for strategic reasons. According to the ministry, the troops have now taken up "more advantageous defensive positions" at the Berkhivka water reservoir northwest of Bachmut.
A statement that caused Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to react.
"What really happened was an escape of Russian soldiers from the flanks," Yevgeny Prigozhin said on his Telegram channel.
According to Prigozhin, the retreat corresponds to a loss of land of 5 square kilometers.
"A remarkable development"
Joakim Paasikivi believes that the Russian side usually presents everything as going according to plan. Including "catastrophic retreats".
"What we are seeing now is a remarkable development, given that I, among others, have been saying for months that Bachmut is in danger of falling," he says.
Ukraine's success has led to speculation that this is the beginning of the country's much-talked-about spring offensive, but on Friday, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar downplayed the rumors, pointing out that the fighting in and around Bachmut has been going on for months.
Joakim Paasikivi answers viewer questions about the war
What would it take for a Ukrainian victory?
44 sec
What is Putin's next step if he loses?
39 sec
What does the threat to Sweden look like?
47 sec
Is Ukraine or Russia strongest?
30 sec
Why don't you just kill Putin?
18 sec