"Wagnerites" remain in Bakhmut - Maliar

In the suburbs of Bakhmut, the enemy has replaced the Wagner PMC units with regular army units, while "Wagnerites" remain in the city itself.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. 

According to her, the east remains the epicenter of the fighting. Russian troops are attacking in several directions - Avdiivka, Marinka, Lyman, Kupiansk and Bakhmut.

The enemy's attacks were repelled in the Avdiivka and Marinka directions. The offensive actions of the enemy are unsuccessful, noted Maliar.

"In the Lyman [direction], the enemy paused yesterday and did not conduct any offensive actions. Fighting is ongoing in Kupiansk [direction]. The enemy is attacking, trying to seize a foothold for further advancement, and suffering losses," she noted.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that "in the Bakhmut direction the enemy is trying to stop our advance along the flanks with artillery shelling. The enemy is now pulling additional units to the flanks to reinforce them."

"In the suburbs of Bakhmut, the enemy replaced "Wagner's" units with regular army units. At the moment, "Wagnerites" remain in the city of Bakhmut," noted Maliar.

According to her, Ukrainian troops control the outskirts of the city in the southwestern part in the area of "Airplane".

As Ukrinform reported, according to media reports, the leader of the Wagner PMC, Yevhen Prigozhin, said that on May 25 he began to withdraw mercenaries from Bakhmut and hand over the positions to the regular Russian army. The process, he said, will last until June 1.

Photo: 93rd Mechanized Brigade