kyiv welcomes the “first success” of its offensive on the outskirts of Bakhmout

The commander of Ukrainian ground troops welcomed the advance of the troops. The Ukrainian army has been saying for several days that it is progressing north and south of Bakhmout.

By Le Figaro with AFP

Posted update

Ukraine claimed this Monday, May 15 the “first successof his assault around Bakhmoutprogressing on the flanks of the Russian defenses, at the time when its president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London to continue his European tour and appeal for even more military aid.

For several days, the Ukrainian army has said that it has been advancing north and south of Bakhmout (east), the epicenter of the fighting for several months and the scene of the bloodiest battle since the start of the Russian invasion. “The advance of our troops in the Bakhmout area is the first success of the offensiveaimed at defending this city, now majority-controlled by the Russians, General Oleksandre Syrsky, the commander of Ukrainian ground troops, said on Monday.

This content is not accessible.

A dubious strategic scope

On Sunday, kyiv had already sworn to have captured “more than 10 enemy positions north and south of Bakhmout suburbs“, after having affirmed Friday to have taken again two kilometers in the zone. Conversely, Russia says for its part that it is advancing within this city itself, which it has been trying tirelessly to conquer since last summer, at the cost of significant losses and without success at this stage.

Observers doubt the strategic significance of conquering this city for Moscow, but it would allow the Kremlin to post a victory after several humiliating setbacks. On the spot, the paramilitary group Wagner is supported by the regular Russian army, although its leader, the businessman Evguéni Prigojine, regularly accuses the military hierarchy of not giving enough ammunition to his men to be able to conquer Bakhmout. Last week, he even accused some Russian army soldiers of “flee“their positions, believing that the defenses”collapse“.

” READ ALSO – Dimitri Minic: “In Ukraine, the Russians wanted to circumvent the armed struggle, but it was a total fiasco”

For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry, with which Yevgeny Prigojine has been in open conflict for several months, repeated again on Sunday:have repelled all attacks” At “north and southfrom Bakhmout, brushing aside kyiv’s claims. A sign, however, that the situation has become complicated for the Russian army, the ministry also announced on Sunday the death in combat of two military officials, a rare communication from Moscow since the start of its invasion.

source site