General Staff: Russians trying to surround Bakhmut from north and south

Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said this at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to him, Bakhmut direction remains the most difficult area on the front, where the enemy continues going on the offensive in the central part of Bakhmut, as well as towards Bohdanivka and Ivanivske settlements in order to surround the city from the north and south. Hromov noted that part of the enemy forces and equipment were redeployed to Bakhmut area from Avdiivka direction to reinforce its offensive potential.

"Every day in Bakhmut area, the enemy makes 40 to 50 offensive and assault attempts, launches more than 500 strikes using the entire range of available weapons. At the same time, the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation does not pay attention to significant personnel losses. Thus, only over the past two weeks in Bakhmut area, the enemy lost almost 4,500 Wagner fighters and service members of the regular armed forces of the Russian Federation killed and wounded," the Brigadier General informed.

He said that mobilized servicemen in some units of the Russian army massively refuse to participate in active military operations, and the command uses brutal reprisals against those who refuse. In particular, they are put in pits to be subjected to physical and psychological pressure, and a torture chamber is arranged for the most disobedient ones.

In addition, Hromov said, the enemy continues offensive operations in Lyman direction in order to reach the administrative borders of Luhansk region and tries to push back the Ukrainian troops to the right bank of the Zherebets River on Makiivka-Torske border, as well as from the Serebrianske Forestry. He noted that the enemy increased the use of operational-tactical and army aviation to hit the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The redeployment of motorized rifle and artillery units, personnel of the Bars detachment, as well as additional aerial reconnaissance equipment for strengthening the grouping of the Russian-occupation troops in the specified direction was recorded," added the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

At the same time, according to his data, the Russian military, who are stationed in the area of Kreminna settlement, have poor morale due to a possible offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and canceled vacations. In addition, the command of the Russian troops orders to save the ammunition in this direction.

"In Marinka and Avdiivka directions, the enemy does not stop trying to take control of populated settlements. About 20 to 40 assault attempts take place in each of the indicated directions. The enemy fires up to 200 rounds," Hromov noted.

Speaking about Vuhledar direction in Donetsk region, he said that after unsuccessful offensive attempts and significant losses, the enemy resorted to strikes on the positions of Ukrainian troops near Vodiane, Vuhledar, and Prechystivka. At the same time, as a result of significant losses among the personnel of the 155th and 40th separate marine infantry brigades during the hostilities in Vuhledar area, mobilized servicemen and Wagner units were redeployed to the indicated direction.

The Brigadier General also reported that the enemy continues shelling Ukrainian troops in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, launches missile and bomb attacks in the area of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia cities, and strengthens forces and hardware in certain directions to prevent the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As reported, from February 24, 2022 to April 13, 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated about 180,590 Russian soldiers.

Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov