The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Kyiv secures an important logistics hub
Ukrainian forces in the hotly contested eastern city of Bakhmut have secured an important logistics hub this week, Ukrainian military commanders said.
Their appraisal came as Russia’s defence ministry said Kyiv had stepped up attacks north of the region.
The 1.2 miles of territory retaken by Ukrainian forces south of Bakhmut earlier this week represent a significant gain for Kyiv and will protect an important supply chain, according to the commanders of Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, a special forces unit that led the attack.
The battle for Bakhmut, once a salt-mining town, has been grinding on for eight months, making it the longest of the war so far. In a statement on Telegram yesterday, Hanna Maliar confirmed that Ukrainian forces gained ground around the city, reiterating statements from Ukrainian military commanders earlier this week.
The head of Russia’s Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose mercenary company is spearheading the fight in Bakhmut, claimed that the Russian front had been exposed because of fleeing army units.
Ukrainian military officials have dismissed speculation that the fighting and forward movement in Bakhmut signalled that a much anticipated counter-offensive is under way.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, in remarks broadcast on Thursday, that Kyiv was delaying the big push because Ukraine lacks enough Western weapons. The comments were interpreted by some as designed to keep Russia guessing about Ukraine’s next move.
The 2km gain was made near the Siversky-Donets canal, between the villages of Ivanivske and Kurdiumivka, said the commander of the 1st Assault Battalion of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, which carried out the operation.
“This was the enemy’s bridgehead which they intended to use in their future attacks along the canal, in the direction of Kostiantynivka,” the commander, identified only by his callsign, Rollo, said.
“We had to neutralise the enemy and push them to the other side of the canal.”
One other commander and a military spokesman corroborated this account.
Kostiantynivka is part of an important logistics chain that leads to the city of Kramatorsk.
Rollo said the win followed other successful operations, including one that secured an access road near Khromove, north of Bakhmut, and another that allowed Ukrainian forces to reclaim lost positions in the Industrial College inside Bakhmut city.