“The Ukrainian army is massively strengthening its units in western Bakhmut,” TASS quoted Russian intelligence sources as saying. And Andrey Marochko, ex-officer of the Lugansk regional militia, says about the current development: “The Ukrainian government wants to prevent a complete encirclement of Bakhmut in any case. Kiev throws trained, but also recently drafted, units into the fray. They are to hold the defensive positions along the only road to and from Bakhmut that is still open.”
In support of this operation, the Ukrainian artillery is now being used more intensively again, reports Marochko.
Putin’s mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin (61) has already described a regrouping of the Ukrainian units in the extremely hard-fought zone around Bakhmut: The army command in Kiev would have divided the Ukrainian armed forces there into four different groups. They are to continue to resist the mercenaries of the Wagner group and also the regular units of the Russian army in this sector of the front.
However, the Ukrainian army is confronted with two problems: since February 16, Russian units have occupied all strategically important mountain ranges around Bakhmut. And the Russian artillery has no shortage of ammunition supplies – according to NATO statements, Putin’s gun batteries are currently firing 23,000 shells a day, Ukraine’s armed forces can respond with only 5,000 to 6,000 rounds.