Posted on 05/11/2023 7:48:36 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
The head of Russia's Wagner private army said on Thursday that Ukrainian units had begun their counterattack, and were approaching Bakhmut from the flanks, while Russia's defence ministry said its paratroopers were supporting an advance on the west of the city.
Reuters could not independently verify either of the assertions, which came amid an escalating dispute between Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian defence ministry over the conduct of the invasion, now in its 15th month.
Prigozhin said that Ukrainian operations were proving to be "unfortunately, partially successful", in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel.
He said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was "being deceptive" when he said Ukraine's counteroffensive had been delayed as it waited for more aid from foreign countries. Prigozhin said the counteroffensive was actually going ahead at full speed around Bakhmut.
Russian forces, spearheaded by Wagner, have been waging a bloody assault on the city, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, since last summer. Prigozhin last week claimed his forces controlled around 95%, but threatened to pull out if Moscow did not deliver more ammunition to his fighters.
On Wednesday, both Prigozhin and the Ukrainian military said that Kyiv's forces had routed a Russian army unit near Bakhmut, in a significant advance for Ukraine. Prigozhin has repeatedly accused senior Russian defence officials of starving his forces of ammunition, and blamed them for reverses around the town.
In its regular daily briefing on Thursday, Russia's defence ministry made no reference to the claimed setback and said troops were continuing to advance.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
And to make matters worse, its only a LOCAL offensive. Poor Prigozhin, so sad about to fail again, or flee to Africa.
It should be noted Artymovsk ( Bakmut ) as of last night was 98.2 percent under Vlad’s control. A look at both western and Russian MOD maps show Artymovsk lost. I find talk is cheap, observing the battle maps often show a different story than all the noise.
I can’t believe Russia still hasn’t taken Bakhmut. And it’s nearly all rubble by now anyway and they still can’t take it.
Yes the Orcs will be having fun getting out of being encircled.
President Trump will return to office in January 2025. There’s still 19 months of fighting left before that happens.
“President Trump will return to office in January 2025. There’s still 19 months of fighting left before that happens.”
How likely is Putin to survive in office for that long? By the time Trump is in office he might have the mess of multiple nuclear armed warlords fighting for control of the Kremlin.
19 months is a long time. Anything can happen.
Ukraine is working hard to put a brave, heroic face on a bad situation. While the battle over Bakhmut continues to dominate the attention of Western pundits and politicians, the war in Ukraine is raging in other locations, including Zaporozhye, Maryinka, Avdyevka, Petrovskoye and dozens of other cities and hamlets. Russia has ample supplies of men, tanks and ammunition. Ukraine does not. Russia is choosing to fight a war of attrition rather than large scale maneuver. I realize this is frustrating for those arm-chair generals longing for a General Patton to break out of hedge row country and go scampering across France. Apart from the whining complaints from Prigozhin, there is no sign of panic, fear or frustration on the Russian side. The essential question remains — how long can Ukraine hold out?
Ukraine SitRep: Delayed Counteroffensive, Russian Defense Lines, Weapon Efficiency
Ukraine does not have the personnel to sustain a longer war. Nor does the 'west' have any spare weapons that could give the Ukraine a 'decisive advantage'.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.