Guest
Russian troops maintain the initiative militarily in almost all sectors of the Donbass front. Meanwhile the positional battles continue in the Kherson and Zaporozhie regions. Russian fighters are pushing Ukrainian troops on the outskirts of Ugledar, in Mariinka and Avdeevka west of Donetsk as well as on the northern front lines in the Svatovo-Kremennaya region. Bakhmut remains the most difficult battlefield for the Ukrainian military. In recent days, Wagner’s main efforts have been focused on advancing north of the city. Fighting is ongoing on the northern outskirts of Khromovo where the Ukrainian units are fiercely defending the last road used by the Ukrainian grouping in Bakhmut. Russian control of Khromovo will mark the complete closure of the trap. Wagner fighters are expanding their control in the areas west of the city, which will secure the encirclement of the Ukrainian grouping in Bakhmut. Battles are ongoing on the outskirts of the town of Bogdanovka. Russian forces are yet to enter the settlement. Meanwhile, the battle for the town of Orekhovo-Vasilyevka broke out after Wagner forces broke through Ukrainian defense in the area. The dominant heights near the town reportedly came under Russian control. At the same time, Russian forces are fighting on the outskirts of Zaliznyansky. In addition, Wagner units are approaching the last road to Bakhmut from the southern direction. On the southwestern outskirts, Russian forces took control of some sections of the road to Konstantinovka. The village of Krasnoe remains under Ukrainian control. The Ukrainian command is trying to counterattack by transferring additional reserves to the area. A large Ukrainian grouping is reportedly concentrated in Chasov Yar, likely preparing for a large counterattack. It may be aimed to push Russian troops back from at least one of the flanks around Bakhmut and prevent Wagner forces from the operational encirclement of the city. In the city itself, after Wagner fighters took control of the all the areas on the eastern bank of the Bakhmutka river, they crossed the river and launched battles in the central district of the city. In the northern part of Bakhmut, Wagner assault units have already launched the mop up operation on the territory of the Artemovsky Metalworking Plant (AZOM). The plant has an extensive territory and underground utilities, where the fighting is already ongoing. There are some tactical advances of Wagner fighters in the southern districts of the city. They are approaching the south-western quarters. The ruins of the monument to the Mig-5 located on the Chaikovky street are still under Ukrainian control. The Ukrainian military finds itself in a critical situation and continue attempts to save the most trained units, evacuating from the city. However, in the public field, Kiev does not give up the idea of counterattacking in the area of the almost completely encircled Bakhmut.
