[ad_1]
KIEV: Russia’s Wagner mercenary group appeared on Sunday to abandon plans to withdraw from it Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, saying Moscow promised them more weapons, suggesting they may continue their offensive on what Russia sees as a springboard to other cities in the Donbass region.
The Ukrainian general in charge of defending the besieged city said late Sunday that Russia had intensified the bombing in hopes of capturing Bakhmut by Tuesday, but he vowed to do everything he could to prevent that. May 9 is Victory Day in Russia, marking the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
On the other hand, Ukrainian and Russian media reported explosions in the Russian-occupied Crimea, and there was news of an explosion during the night in the Black Sea city of Odessa. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses had detected and destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight.
Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin He had said on Friday that his fighters, who had spearheaded a months-long assault on Bakhmut, would withdraw after starving themselves of ammunition and suffering “useless and unjustified” losses as a result.
But in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel on Sunday, he said: “We have been promised ammunition and weapons as much as we need to continue further operations. We have been promised whatever is needed to prevent the enemy from cutting us off (of supplies).”
Prigozhin said in an audio statement late Sunday that his units had advanced 280 meters (920 feet). “We are moving forward and expecting to receive the ammunition,” he added. Prigozhin has previously made a number of early claims of success.
A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman did not respond to a request for comment after Prigozhin’s latest statement.
Russian officials have repeatedly sought to allay concerns that their front-line forces were not receiving adequate supplies. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday, referring to the Russian military as a whole, that they had “received a sufficient amount of ammunition” to actually inflict damage on enemy forces.
On the Ukrainian side, Serhiy Sherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Command, in response to questions from Reuters about Prigozhin’s remarks, said Russian forces had “more than enough” ammunition.
He said that Prigozhin’s remarks were meant to distract from the heavy losses Wagner had suffered by throwing so many forces into the battle.
“Four hundred and eighty-nine artillery bombardments over the past twenty-four hours in the vicinity of Bakhmut – is this hunger for ammunition?”
Late Sunday, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Sersky, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces in Bakhmut, said the Russians had increased bombing and were regrouping forces. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
“The Russians still hope to take the city by May 9. Our job is to prevent that,” Cirsky said in a telegram after what he said was a visit to troops along the front line in Bakhmut.
Prigozhin’s threat to withdraw from Bakhmut highlights the pressure Russian forces are under as Ukraine makes final preparations for a counteroffensive backed by thousands of Western-donated armored vehicles and newly trained troops.
The Battle of Bakhmut was the most intense of the conflict, claiming thousands of lives on both sides in months of grinding war.
Ukrainian forces have been pushed back in recent weeks, but have clung on to the city to inflict as many Russian casualties as possible ahead of Kiev’s planned major offensive against the invading forces along the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line.
evacuation
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky He said in his nightly video address that nine Ukrainian sappers who were involved in demining were killed in a single Russian attack in the southern Kherson region on Saturday.
“They were… restoring safety to our people,” Zelensky He said.
On Sunday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the Russians continue to remove what it described as looted property from settlements on the front lines in occupied areas in the Zaporizhia region under the pretext of capturing civilians.
In Mykolaiv, Governor Vitaly Kim said in a social media post that a building and land belonging to an unidentified institution were damaged overnight after long-range bombers targeted his southern district with five KH-22 cruise missiles.
The governor of the eastern Kharkiv region said at least five people were injured after an S-300 missile hit a parking lot in the city of Balaklia.
Six people have died in the past 24 hours in a variety of strikes, said the governor of the southern city of Kherson, which was liberated by Ukraine last November but has come under sustained Russian attack.
Airstrike warnings were also reported overnight in the capital Kiev, as well as in other regions of the country.
Russian forces have intensified their long-range missile attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure in recent days.
The overnight strikes coincided with Ukrainian and Russian media reports of multiple explosions in Russian-occupied Crimea. Reuters could not immediately confirm these reports.
Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russian law enforcement agencies, reported that Ukraine had sent a series of drones over the peninsula, with at least one being shot down by Russian air defense over the port of Sevastopol.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Strikes on Russian-controlled targets have intensified in the past two weeks, especially in Crimea. Ukraine, without confirming any role in those attacks, says the destruction of enemy infrastructure is preparation for a planned ground offensive.
The Ukrainian general in charge of defending the besieged city said late Sunday that Russia had intensified the bombing in hopes of capturing Bakhmut by Tuesday, but he vowed to do everything he could to prevent that. May 9 is Victory Day in Russia, marking the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
On the other hand, Ukrainian and Russian media reported explosions in the Russian-occupied Crimea, and there was news of an explosion during the night in the Black Sea city of Odessa. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses had detected and destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight.
Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin He had said on Friday that his fighters, who had spearheaded a months-long assault on Bakhmut, would withdraw after starving themselves of ammunition and suffering “useless and unjustified” losses as a result.
But in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel on Sunday, he said: “We have been promised ammunition and weapons as much as we need to continue further operations. We have been promised whatever is needed to prevent the enemy from cutting us off (of supplies).”
Prigozhin said in an audio statement late Sunday that his units had advanced 280 meters (920 feet). “We are moving forward and expecting to receive the ammunition,” he added. Prigozhin has previously made a number of early claims of success.
A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman did not respond to a request for comment after Prigozhin’s latest statement.
Russian officials have repeatedly sought to allay concerns that their front-line forces were not receiving adequate supplies. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday, referring to the Russian military as a whole, that they had “received a sufficient amount of ammunition” to actually inflict damage on enemy forces.
On the Ukrainian side, Serhiy Sherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Command, in response to questions from Reuters about Prigozhin’s remarks, said Russian forces had “more than enough” ammunition.
He said that Prigozhin’s remarks were meant to distract from the heavy losses Wagner had suffered by throwing so many forces into the battle.
“Four hundred and eighty-nine artillery bombardments over the past twenty-four hours in the vicinity of Bakhmut – is this hunger for ammunition?”
Late Sunday, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Sersky, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces in Bakhmut, said the Russians had increased bombing and were regrouping forces. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
“The Russians still hope to take the city by May 9. Our job is to prevent that,” Cirsky said in a telegram after what he said was a visit to troops along the front line in Bakhmut.
Prigozhin’s threat to withdraw from Bakhmut highlights the pressure Russian forces are under as Ukraine makes final preparations for a counteroffensive backed by thousands of Western-donated armored vehicles and newly trained troops.
The Battle of Bakhmut was the most intense of the conflict, claiming thousands of lives on both sides in months of grinding war.
Ukrainian forces have been pushed back in recent weeks, but have clung on to the city to inflict as many Russian casualties as possible ahead of Kiev’s planned major offensive against the invading forces along the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line.
evacuation
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky He said in his nightly video address that nine Ukrainian sappers who were involved in demining were killed in a single Russian attack in the southern Kherson region on Saturday.
“They were… restoring safety to our people,” Zelensky He said.
On Sunday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the Russians continue to remove what it described as looted property from settlements on the front lines in occupied areas in the Zaporizhia region under the pretext of capturing civilians.
In Mykolaiv, Governor Vitaly Kim said in a social media post that a building and land belonging to an unidentified institution were damaged overnight after long-range bombers targeted his southern district with five KH-22 cruise missiles.
The governor of the eastern Kharkiv region said at least five people were injured after an S-300 missile hit a parking lot in the city of Balaklia.
Six people have died in the past 24 hours in a variety of strikes, said the governor of the southern city of Kherson, which was liberated by Ukraine last November but has come under sustained Russian attack.
Airstrike warnings were also reported overnight in the capital Kiev, as well as in other regions of the country.
Russian forces have intensified their long-range missile attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure in recent days.
The overnight strikes coincided with Ukrainian and Russian media reports of multiple explosions in Russian-occupied Crimea. Reuters could not immediately confirm these reports.
Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russian law enforcement agencies, reported that Ukraine had sent a series of drones over the peninsula, with at least one being shot down by Russian air defense over the port of Sevastopol.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Strikes on Russian-controlled targets have intensified in the past two weeks, especially in Crimea. Ukraine, without confirming any role in those attacks, says the destruction of enemy infrastructure is preparation for a planned ground offensive.
[ad_2]
