Ukrainian military: Russian forces far from controlling Bakhmut's 'road of life'

Russian forces didn't yet manage to get a hold of the exit road from Bakhmut, Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said on April 29.

Cherevaty also said Russian forces are involving paratroopers from the regular army in the area as Wagner's mercenary forces are running out of men.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private Russian mercenary Wagner Group, threatened to abandon his position next to Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast if he didn’t get more supplies from the Kremlin.

Prigozhin reportedly told Russian Telegram-based propaganda outlet WarGonzo that he sent a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu with his ultimatum, supposedly giving Shoigu until April 28 to decide.

The mercenary chief reiterated his frequently-voiced concern that Wagner might be seeing its final days as a company.

Prigozhin has often complained about ammunition shortages over the past several months.

In the western districts of Donetsk Oblast's contested city of Bakhmut, "heavy, short-range" fighting continues between Ukrainian and Russian forces after roughly a year of battles for the city, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on April 26.

Flanks around Bakhmut hold as brutal urban fighting continues for city blocks

Two months after Ukraine’s defense of Bakhmut seemed doomed, the bloodiest battle of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is still going against all expectations. Making rapid advances at the end of February, Russian forces seemed to be on the cusp of surrounding the city, as the only roads

Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell