Russians continue bloody battle for Bachmut | Abroad

Russian forces have increased their attacks, including artillery fire, over the past two days. Mercenaries from the Wagner Group in particular are sent ahead, although they have recently received better support from airborne troops of the regular Russian army. Wagner would have conquered two areas on the northern and southern edges this weekend.

According to various sources, Ukrainian troops have indeed had to withdraw from some positions, but they are still in control of the western part of the city. “In the center there are bloody battles like never seen before. Our soldiers do everything to break the enemy’s strength and morale. Every day in every corner of the city they do it successfully,” said Serhiy Cherevaty, the military spokesman for eastern Ukraine on national television. Reports circulating on social media about Wagner’s attackers being shot by their own commanders as they do not continue and meanwhile suffer huge losses A new cemetery for fallen fighters is said to have been put into use.

However, supplying the Ukrainians is further complicated by the constant shelling of the two roads leading to the city from the Russian army. Moscow now wants to push through, it seems. Ukrainian deputy defense minister Hanna Malyar said on Telegram that the Russian army should transfer more units from other areas to Bach: “The enemy deploys its most professional units there and makes extensive use of artillery and aircraft.”

The Russian Wagner Group also published a video on Sunday of its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin telling at least 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war that they are being released because of Orthodox Easter. The soldiers, some wounded, then enter a truck to be moved. “I hope you don’t fall into our hands again,” one of the Wagner fighters says to them before they leave.

Russia is allowing 130 Ukrainian prisoners to return to their homeland, Kyiv reports. It is not known how many prisoners return to Russia. The same Prigozhin caused a sensation on Saturday by advising the Kremlin to declare that the goals of the “special military operation” (read: war) in Ukraine have been achieved, as the Russian army has already taken “a good chunk” of territory. “What we have to do now is to hold tight to the territories we have already conquered,” Prigozhin told the Telegram messaging service.

At least 11 people were killed and 21 injured in a rocket attack on a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, according to Ukrainian sources. Attacks, mainly by artillery and mortars, are also reported from other parts of the country, including Kherson and the Sumy and Kharkiv regions in the north. At least six people were killed and eight injured. Fighting also continues near Donetsk, Svatove and Kreminna. According to Russian reports, the Ukrainian army allegedly made a small advance near Robotyne in the south, but without success. It is unclear whether this is in preparation for Ukraine’s long-awaited spring offensive.

A row has erupted in Europe this weekend as Poland and Hungary announced bans on Ukrainian grain imports. Ukraine can transport much less grain than usual through the Black Sea, and as a result more comes overland to countries in Central Europe. Prices are now under pressure there. According to the countries, the import bans were therefore necessary to protect their own farmers. The import bans on Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products imposed by Poland and Hungary are “not acceptable,” said a spokesperson for the European Commission. After all, trade policy is something that only the Commission can decide on and countries cannot therefore make independent decisions about it.