ISW: Russian troops did not make any advances in Bakhmut yesterday

“Russian forces did not make any confirmed advances within Bakhmut on March 11. Ukrainian and Russian sources continue to report heavy fighting in the city, but Wagner Group fighters are likely becoming increasingly pinned in urban areas, such as the AZOM industrial complex, and are therefore finding it difficult to make significant advances,” reads the report of the U.S. Institute for the Study of War.

ISW also points to a statement made by Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigozhin who said that he would transform the Wagner Group into a hardline ideological elite parallel military organization after the Battle of Bakhmut.

“Prigozhin stated on March 11 that the Wagner Group will start a new wave of recruitment after the envisioned capture of Bakhmut and reform itself into an army with an ideological component. The Wagner Group has recently been expanding recruitment centers throughout Russia, including centers and programs focused on recruiting youth,” the report reads.