There is a "realistic possibility" that the Russian military is losing momentum in Bakhmut, with the Russian Defense Ministry transferring units to other sectors, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry's March 22 intelligence update.
Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack to the west of Bakhmut that is "likely" to ease the stress on their supply routes. Fighting continues around the center of Bakhmut, and Ukrainian forces remain vulnerable to the north and south, the ministry added.
The battle of Bakhmut has been raging in Donetsk Oblast for the past eight months, with heavy losses suffered on both sides. However, Ukrainian forces continue to hold the city.
Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said on March 20 that the Ukrainian military has been successful "in certain areas" and is "destroying Russia's most professional units," namely the state-backed Wagner Group.
According to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, less than 3,000 local residents remained in Bakhmut as of March 15. The once-prosperous industrial city was home to 70,000 people.
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