Russians advance in Bachmut: Ukrainian troops have “considerable problems” with supplies | War Ukraine and Russia

Images shared on social media show that the Russians are continuing their advance and are now in the center of the city. According to the American think tank ‘Institute for the Study of War’, there should also be slight gains in territory in the south and southwest of Bach. Russian sources state that an agricultural school, a train station and a grain elevator have been captured in the north of the city.

According to British intelligence, the Russians have revived their siege of Bachmoet. Part of the success is said to be due to improved cooperation between the mercenaries of the Wagner group and the soldiers of the regular Russian army, two entities that have been fighting each other for power in recent months.

The mercenaries now provide the main territorial gain in the center of the city, while the Russian air force defends the northern and southern flanks. “Ukrainian troops still hold the western districts of the city, but they have been exposed to particularly intense Russian artillery fire over the past 48 hours,” the British assessment read this morning.

The important supply route in the west of the city is therefore under pressure. “Ukrainian forces are facing significant supply problems but have withdrawn in an orderly manner from positions they could not hold,” the British said.

Reports that Bachmut is almost completely in the hands of the Russians are denied on both sides. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin reported earlier this week that his mercenaries controlled about 80 percent of the city and reiterated that Ukrainian troops are still defending and supplying the city.

The General Staff of Ukraine also reports in a new update this morning that “heavy fighting” continues to take place in Bachmut. “The Ukrainian positions are bombed continuously, but the Russians are held back in several places,” it read.

The fighting would now mainly take place in residential areas with high buildings. All industrial areas and city services buildings would be in the hands of the Russians, according to Wagner.