Raising Counterattack Level and Issuing Evacuation Order for Residents in Adjacent City
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group, announced on the 5th (local time) that Ukraine has recaptured some areas of Bakhmut, the fiercest battleground.
According to major foreign media, Prigozhin said that Ukrainian forces recaptured part of the settlement of Verkhniokamianka north of Bakhmut on the same day, calling it a "shameful event."
This comes just two days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the American daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 3rd that preparations for a counteroffensive against Russia were complete.
Bakhmut, located in eastern Ukraine, is considered the largest battleground where Russia and Ukraine have concentrated firepower for a long time. Earlier, Prigozhin handed over Bakhmut to the Russian regular army after fully capturing it on the 21st of last month.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, also stated on Telegram that they succeeded in destroying a Russian position near Bakhmut and are continuing to advance near Bakhmut.
Ukraine is reportedly intensifying its offensive in Bakhmut and has issued evacuation orders for residents in adjacent cities.
Russian state-run Sputnik News cited Russian military sources on the same day, claiming, "Forced evacuations are currently underway in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Children are being forcibly taken away."
Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, located 30 km from Bakhmut, are considered major cities in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.
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