Ukraine Claims Gains Near Bakhmut

Reports say Ukrainian forces pushed Russian forces back by 2km in an area to the southwest of the city

Ukrainian military officials on Wednesday claimed that their forces made some gains near the eastern Donbas city of Bakhmut, where Russian forces have been steadily advancing for months.

According to Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Ukrainian troops were able to push the Russians back by 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). “In some areas of the contact line, the enemy was unable to withstand the pressure of Ukrainian defenders and retreated to a distance of up to 2 kilometers,” Syrskyi wrote on Telegram.

According to SouthFront, which publishes daily maps of the battlefields in Ukraine, Ukrainian forces gained 2 kilometers in an area southwest of Bakhmut. SouthFront also reported that Russian forces captured new farmlands northwest of Bakhmut but didn’t specify how much territory was gained.

Military situation in Bakhmut on May 10, 2023 (SouthFront.org)

The news of the Ukrainian gains comes a day after the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner accused regular Russian forces of giving up positions near Bakhmut. “Today, everything is being done so that the front line crumbles. Today, one of the defense ministryโ€™s units fled one of our flanks, abandoning their positions. Everyone fled,” he said.

Prigozhin has continued his criticisms of Russian military leadership but appears to have backed off on his threat to pull the Wagner fighters out of Bakhmut. Prigozhin previously said he would hand control of the front to a Chechen unit on May 10 but then said Moscow has vowed to provide enough ammunition for the brutal battle of Bakhmut.

The battle has become known as the meatgrinder, and Ukrainian soldiers have told accounts to the media of Kyiv sending in troops with little training and ammunition. Russian forces control over 90% of Bakhmut, but Ukrainian leadership does not want to cede the city.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.