A separatist official said Wednesday that Russian forces, including units of the Wagner mercenary group, had advanced in Bakhmut, a town in eastern Ukraine that Russia has been trying to capture for months.
“Fairly tough fighting continues in Artemovsk,” Denis Pushilin, Moscow’s top official responsible for Donetsk, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies, using the Russian name for Bakhmut.
“But units, in particular Wagner, are advancing in Artemovsk itself.”
Fighting was already taking place “somewhere on the outskirts and somewhere in those neighbourhoods that were until recently controlled” Ukraine’s forces, he added.
Russian forces have been trying to wrest control of Bakhmut for months in what Kyiv has described as some of the bloodiest battles since the start of Russia’s offensive.
The town, which used to have a population of around 70,000 people, has been largely destroyed by…
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