Russia has concentrated 52,000 troops in the area near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Eastern Force Grouping press officer Illia Yevlash said on Ukrainian TV on Sept. 17.
According to Yevlash, Russia has also concentrated around 274 tanks, over 1,000 armored fighting vehicles, 150 artillery systems, and more than 120 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) in the area.
Yevlash also said that Ukrainian forces are progressing on the southern flank of Bakhmut, pushing the Russian troops out of the previously occupied positions.
On Sept. 15, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed the liberation of Donetsk Oblast's Andriivka, a small settlement located around three kilometers south of the embattled Klishchiivka and less than 10 kilometers south of occupied Bakhmut.
According to the 3rd Assault Brigade, Ukrainian forces dealt a devastating blow to the Russian 72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade during the battle for Andriivka.
The 3rd Brigade also reported that the Russian formation lost its chief of intelligence, three commanders, almost all of its infantry, including officers, and a significant amount of equipment.
"As a result of a fulminant operation, the Russian garrison of Andriivka was surrounded, cut off from the main forces, and destroyed," the brigade wrote on Telegram.
Daria Shulzhenko
