Ukraine says its soldiers repelling assaults on Bakhmut as Wagner claims city 'encircled'

Ukraine's military has been repelling a string of attacks on the eastern city of Bakhmut despite the claims circulated by Russia's shadowy mercenary group Wagner that the entire besieged town has been "practically encircled." Over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's military personnel have been fighting the mercenary forces that have declared that the Bakhmut has been completely surrounded and that only one road was operative.

Footages circulating on the Wagner PMC Telegram channels showed that the bridge over the Bakhmutka River was destroyed by the retreating Ukrainian forces and that there was no longer an exit to the city.

Town of Bakhmut. Credit: Telegram/Wagner Group

Credit: Telegram/Wagner Group

Wagner fighters attempted to use the destroyed bridge. Credit: Telegram/Wagner Group

"Wagner PMC assault squads are advancing towards the village of Artyomovskoye (Khromovo), capturing enemy strongholds. The enemy blew up a bridge over the canal near the 8th Stavka pond on the outskirts of the settlement after the withdrawal of its units," according to a statement on Telegram. 

"Wagner fighters managed to advance towards Rechnaya Street, taking control of several building," it added. "There is positional fighting all along the line of contact." 

Credit: Telegram

Situation in Bakhmut 'highly critical'

UK intelligence called the situation in Bakhmut "highly critical", adding that the Ukrainian military is coming under "increasingly severe pressure." In a separate statement, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the Ukrainian military "had repelled more than 150 attacks by Russian troops over the last day around Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Shakhtarsk." Ukraine soldiers were repelling attacks in adjacent areas of Vasyukivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, and Ivanivske, he noted. 

Meanwhile, Wagner channels claimed that its fighters launched a barrage of artillery on the Ukrainian armed forces' strongholds in Kupyansk. Ukrainians repelled the Russian assaults by firing rockets from Grad MLRS. A Russian military's Su-34 fighter aircraft was shot down near Yenakiieve which is being speculated to have occurred during the "friendly" air defense fire.

Wagner fighters load the bodies of the Ukrainian soldiers who died in the battle of Bakhmut. Telegram/ Wagner Group

Pro-Kremlin channels claim that the Ukrainian formations continue to hold the defense in Bakhmut, adding that there are heavy street battles "for every house in all parts of the town." Assault squads of Wagner reportedly managed to take control of the Tuvra Meat Processing Plant from the Ukraine soldiers in the area of Zabakhmutka. Russia also accused the Ukraine forces of shelling the village of Bezlyudovka in the Russian Belgorod Region with mortar shells."One house burned down, and several more buildings were partially destroyed," pro-Kremlin news outlets reported. 

"The enemy is ceaselessly attempting to encircle Bakhmut," Ukraine's General Staff said. 

"All units involved in the defense of Bakhmut clearly perform their tasks. Our soldiers are constantly working in extremely harsh conditions and doing everything to ensure that the number of enemy forces is reduced every day," General Viktor Khorenko, the commander of the Special Operations Forces, wrote on Facebook.