" Ukrainian forces have not broken through the front line, the military situation is under control ."
So the Russian Defense Ministry said, after a group of military bloggers recounted - in a Telegram post - Ukrainian progress north and south of the eastern city of Bakhmut, with some suggesting the start of a Kiev counter-offensive.
«The statements spread by individual channels about the "uncovering" of the Russian defense in various sections of the line of contact and the worsening situation for our forces are not true », reads the ministry's statement according to which «our units of assault are making progress in the western part of Bakhmut with air and artillery support. We are fighting to push back Ukrainian troops in the direction of Maloilyinovka ". "The enemy suffers significant losses in terms of military personnel and hardware," officials of the Defence.
But the response from Kiev was not long in coming . «An intense offensive phase by the Ukrainian forces is underway in Bakhmut. The enemy is mostly on the defensive . And in a shock position ," one of the Ukrainian officers at the front, Major Maksym Zhorin, wrote in Telegram. “The Russians have to keep a heavy defense and their advance is out of the question for now. At the moment, dynamic events are unfolding on the southern and northern flanks of Bakhmut, but we will not talk about the result yet,” Zhorin said. And on the "lack of ammunition of Wagner or other Russian units, I can assure you that they do not lack weapons," he added.
(Unioneonline/vf)