Defence forces hold strong heights near Bakhmut, but advance stopped - Malyar

Hanna Malyar, Deputy Minister of Defense, reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

She said that the enemy was unsuccessfully advancing in the Bakhmut sector, but that overall offensive activity was reduced. The Russians relied on air strikes and intense artillery shelling.

"Yesterday and today there were no active battles there - neither in the city nor on the flanks. Instead, the enemy is actively shelling the outskirts of the city and its approaches," said Malyar.

She noted that the Ukrainian side is firmly holding "the previously occupied dominant heights north and south of Bakhmut. At the same time, the advance was suspended yesterday and today in order to perform other tasks."

The decrease in enemy activity is caused by the replacement and regrouping of troops. The enemy is trying to strengthen its own capabilities, Malyar emphasised.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the British Ministry of Defence, citing intelligence, said that Wagner's group had probably begun to withdraw from some positions around Bakhmut.