Do the Ukrainians suddenly have the upper hand in Bakhmut?

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Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozchin (64) is scared – or so it seems in his latest video message, which he published on Telegram. His troops are still in the hotly contested Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, nicknamed the “meat grinder” in recent months.

For weeks it seemed as if the Russians had the upper hand in Bakhmut. Ukrainian troops were pushed back, the Russian army made great progress in the area.

But now the tide appears to be turning: the Ukrainian army says it has routed an entire brigade of Russian invasion troops fighting the focal point on the eastern front. The Russian army’s 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade has left its positions in the southwestern suburbs of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian army’s 3rd Assault Brigade said on Wednesday.

Wagner lost at least 500 men

Already on Tuesday, Prigozhin warned in his video message: “The meat grinder is now turning the other way!” The Wagner boss thus confirms what the Ukrainian army report suggests. “Our army is on the run,” he admits. The brigade cleared two square miles and the Wagner group lost “about 500 men” in the process.

However, the Ukrainian troops on the ground in Bakhmut can’t be too euphoric. Because the successful counter-attack initially does not change the situation in the city itself, as maps from “War Mapper” show. It is estimated that Bachmut is still more than 90 percent Russian-owned. Still, some observers suspect this is the beginning of the counter-offensive.

Preparation for counter-offensive

Danish ex-naval officer Klaus Eriksen, who closely follows the war in Ukraine, says Twitter: «I think it is unlikely that this operation is a major offensive. It is more likely that the Ukrainian troops wanted to flank the Wagner mercenaries to the south. I believe more in a formative operation to keep the Russians busy for the counter-offensive.”

In addition, the Ukrainians were able to cut off important supply lines for the Russians by seizing territory around Bakhmut. A big problem for the Wagner troops in Bakhmut: Boss Prigoschin has been complaining for weeks about a lack of ammunition and bad weapons. There are therefore many indications of an intensive phase of preparation for the counter-offensive.

Source: Blick