Military: Ukraine launches counterattacks in Bakhmut, Russian forces 'abandon some positions'

Ukrainian troops have launched counterattacks in parts of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, leading Russian troops to abandon some positions, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, reported on May 1.

The situation near Bakhmut remains "quite complicated," according to Syrskyi.

"Intense" fighting continues around Bakhmut, with Russian forces trying to break through Ukrainian defense "in several directions."

In their attempts to do so, new assault groups of Wagner Group mercenaries and other private military contractors, as well as paratroopers, are "constantly rushing into battle" despite "significant losses," Syrskyi said. 

Ten Russian soldiers were also captured after Ukrainian forces repelled numerous assaults "over the past few days" near Lyman, he said.

The battle for Bakhmut, a once-prosperous industrial city in Donetsk Oblast, has been raging for the past nine months. The Russian military is attempting to increase its grip over the oblast, around half of which it currently occupies.

However, Ukrainian forces still hold a part of the city.

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Water-logged trenches, shredded tree lines, and an undulating, colorless landscape of mud: The visual experience of the battles outside Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast have proved to transcend centuries. When Ukrainian machine-gunner Viktor Borinets’ photos of conditions on the first line of defense went…

Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell