Wagner mercenaries in Bachmut under heavy pressure – the night update without photos

After weeks of heavy fighting and repeated loss of position in the embattled city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian units have again made major territorial gains. The hitherto successful Russian mercenary group Wagner came under increasing pressure, their boss Yevgeny Prigoschin admitted on Wednesday evening. His fighters are in immediate danger of being surrounded.

Kiev: Russian troops pushed back two kilometers

According to its own statements, the Ukrainian army pushed back Russian troops in some places near Bakhmut. “We are carrying out effective counterattacks there,” Ukrainian army commander Olexander Syrskyj told Telegram Wednesday night. Russian troops have withdrawn up to two kilometers from some front parts of the city in eastern Ukraine, which have been the scene of heavy fighting for months.

According to Syrskyj’s description, the Wagner combat units deployed at Bachmut were replaced in some sections by regular Russian army units. These less well-trained units are now defeated, Syrskyj said. However, the battle for Bakhmut continues.

The information provided by the Ukrainian military about their successes could not initially be independently verified.

Mercenary chief Prigozhin fears encirclement at Bakhmut

The head of Wagner’s mercenary unit fears that his unit will be surrounded in the battle for Bachmut. “Given the lack of ammunition, the ‘meat grinder’ now threatens to turn the other way,” Prigozhin wrote on Telegram on Wednesday evening. Due to heavy losses, Wagner had to leave flank protection to regular units of the Russian army, which, according to Ukrainian army reports, were clearly pushed back. “There is now a serious danger of Wagner being surrounded by the collapse of the flanks,” Prigozhin wrote. “And the flanks are already cracking and crumbling.”

Ukraine has been resisting a Russian invasion for more than 14 months. The city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, held by Ukrainian forces, has been the center of hostilities for months. A major counter-offensive from the Ukrainian army has been expected for weeks.

General Staff: Russians loot industrial zones near Zaporizhia

Parallel to the evacuation of the civilian population in the Zaporizhia region of southern Ukraine, which they control, the Russian occupiers have also started looting and dismantling in the industrial zones there, according to information from Kiev. In Enerhodar, all the city’s medical facilities were completely looted, the Ukrainian General Staff said in its situation report. All medical equipment was transferred to Simferopol on the Crimean peninsula, which was also occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014. Again, this information could not be independently verified.

Some time ago, in anticipation of a Ukrainian offensive to recapture occupied territories, Russian occupation authorities began evacuating civilians south of the area around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant controlled by occupation forces.

The Czech Republic supplies two anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine

The Czech Republic surrendered two Soviet 2K12 Kub anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine. The delivery includes a “relatively large number of missiles,” Czech President Petr Pavel said. Ukraine can use this technology immediately because its soldiers are familiar with it. For example, the system can protect armored formations from aerial attacks. As another possibility, the ex-general put forward considerations to supply Kiev with light Aero L-159 fighter jets.

Zelenskyy: Russian tyranny will not prevail anywhere

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised his compatriots that he would completely drive the Russian occupiers out of the country with foreign support. “We will not surrender any piece of our country to the enemy – tyranny will not rule anywhere,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Wednesday. “Let’s not forget that every day that the occupier is on our land is a temptation for him to believe that he will succeed,” Zelensky said. ‘He will not succeed! We must bring freedom, security and Europe back to the entire Ukrainian land.”

The reconstruction of the war-torn country is already being prepared with foreign aid, Zelenskyj said – from business and industry to armaments, energy, infrastructure and education to social care and health care. “Now, in May, we will finalize the concrete points of these state programs and in June we will work on our plans with our (foreign) partners,” said Zelenskyy. “Here, in Ukraine, the world will see what Europe is capable of.” (sda/dpa)