News Feed

UK Defense Ministry: Bakhmut "increasingly isolated" as key roads come under Russian fire control

1 min read

Russian troops have continued to make small advances in an attempt to encircle embattled Bakhmut in eastern Donetsk Oblast, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Feb. 4.

In its daily intelligence update, the ministry pointed out that the two main roads into Bakhmut are likely threatened by direct fire following the Russian advances.

The Kremlin-backed mercenary Wagner Group highly likely seized a subordinate route that links Bakhmut and Siversk, some 30 kilometers to the north.

“While multiple alternative cross-country supply routes remain available to Ukrainian forces, Bakhmut is increasingly isolated,” the ministry said.

The Wagner Group, Russia's most high-profile mercenary group, has played a leading role in the battles in the Bakhmut area alongside the Russian military, using thousands of poorly trained convicts recruited to fight against Ukraine.

The mercenary group has been accused of human rights abuses in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mozambique, including torture and extrajudicial killings.

With the loss of Soledar, Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut jeopardized
Article image
Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed
Video

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, war has become a daily reality for thousands of Ukrainian children. Some Ukrainian military units, such as the Azov Brigade, offer boot camps for teenagers to teach them the basics of self-defense, first aid, dry firing, and other survival skills — helping them prepare for both the realities of today and the uncertainties of the future.

Show More