The withdrawal from the Russian side must have taken place during the last four days. In that case, Ukraine has taken back at least one kilometer of its territory, it is further stated in the daily update to British intelligence on Twitter. – The area has some tactical meaning because there was a Russian bridgehead on the western side of the Donets-Donbas canal, which marks the front line through parts of the sector, they write. The brigade is depicted as part of the 3rd army corps, which was established in 2023. There have been several allegations of low morale and fighting ability in the corps. – The deployment of the corps at such a demanding front shows Russia’s serious lack of credible combat units. Ukrainian general Oleksandr Syrskyi, who leads Ukraine’s forces on the ground, also wrote on Saturday about changes at the front. – Our soldiers are advancing in some parts of the front line, and the enemy is losing equipment and men, says his post on social media. A Russian prisoner gets water from a Ukrainian soldier at the front line near Bakhmut. Photo: RFE/RL/SERHII NUZHNENKO / ReutersA Russian prisoner gets water from a Ukrainian soldier at the front line near Bakhmut. Photo: RFE/RL/SERHII NUZHNENKO / Reuters Moscow acknowledges withdrawal in the north Russia has not yet responded to the information from Great Britain. But on Friday Moscow acknowledged that its forces had lost territory north of the city. The Russian Ministry of Defense wrote in a statement that some of their forces had withdrawn to “more advantageous defensive positions” at a reservoir in the northwest. This is the first time Russia has admitted that Ukraine has managed to take back territory near Bakhmut. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin comes out hard against the Russian military. Photo: Telegram The statement came a few hours after Kyiv said that two kilometers had been recaptured around the city this week. Before the war, Bakhmut had approximately 70,000 inhabitants. Russia has been trying to take the city for over 10 months. The head of the mercenary group Wagner, who is leading the Russian mission to occupy the city of Bakhmut, owed the Russian government powers to calm down the situation. – Attempts by the Ministry of Defense to glorify the situation, it leads and will lead to a global tragedy for Russia, Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video on social media. – Because of this, we must stop lying immediately. Prigozhin also says that it is the Russian military that is responsible for parts of their forces having “fled” near Bakhmut. A Russian military cap remains after fighting in the area. Photo: RFE/RL/SERHII NUZHNENKO / ReutersA Russian military cap remains after fighting in the area. Photo: RFE/RL/SERHII NUZHNENKO / Reuters “Less tactical movements” Lieutenant Colonel Palle Ydstebø believes that the Russian forces have probably moved to positions that are less exposed than those that were attacked. – There are less tactical movements. If they are part of smaller test attacks to test the Russian defense ahead of an offensive, it is quite possible, but until we see something more, we cannot say that it is. Palle Ydstebø is head teacher at the War School in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB If it is an advantage for the Ukrainians that the Russian forces are concentrated at Bakhmut, the advance can also be a diversionary manoeuvre, he says. – If Russia still sees Bakhmut as an important target, and binds forces there, then they play right into what Ukraine wants. – It is precisely to bind the Russians in Bakhmut so that they are forced to thin out their forces elsewhere, thereby opening up opportunities for Ukrainian attacks with a better chance of success. The advance therefore tells us nothing about when and where the Ukrainian offensive will take place, concludes Ydstebø. – Where Ukraine will strike, we will find out when they do. It is very difficult to say anything about it now. Alleged Ukrainian attack in occupied Luhansk Pro-Russian separatist authorities in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine claim that six children and a Russian public official were injured in a Ukrainian rocket attack on Friday. In addition, two closed factories are said to have been damaged in the attack. The picture from the county authorities in Luhansk is supposed to show smoke after an explosion on Friday. It has not been independently verified. Photo: Twitter Russian officials state that Viktor Volodatsky, who is elected to the Duma, is among the injured. The town is about ten miles behind the front line. It is therefore being speculated whether Ukraine may have used a new type of long-range missile. Britain confirmed earlier this week that it has delivered cruise missiles with a range of 30 miles to the Ukrainians. The claims about the attack have not been independently confirmed, and Ukrainian authorities have not commented on them. The Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne Donbas quotes residents that there have been explosions in the city, NTB reports.
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Probable Russian retreat from southern Bakhmut – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
