Russia is reducing attacks in Bakhmut to refocus

The information was shared by a senior Kiev official on Saturday (May 27).

" Yesterday and today there were no battles either in the city itself or on its flanks ," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram on May 27. " Instead, the Russian military is shelling the outskirts and approaches to Bakhmut ."

Ukraine: Russia is reducing attacks in Bakhmut to refocus - 1 — A Ukrainian soldier near Bakhmut. (Photo: Reuters)

"The Russian military is being replaced and refocused. The enemy is trying to strengthen its strength," Ms. Maliar added.

Senior Ukrainian officials have also said their forces are ready to launch a previously announced counterattack to retake the territory. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said the counterattack could begin "tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week."

According to Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak, preliminary operations such as destroying supply routes or blowing up weapons depots have begun.

General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian army, posted a video on Telegram on May 27 showing Ukrainian troops taking an oath and preparing for battle. "It's time to take back what belongs to us," he said.

Earlier, the Wagner private military force began handing over its position to the regular army after declaring full control of Bakhmut. This is the battlefield with the longest and most costly battle since the conflict in Ukraine took place.

Kiev insists its forces still control a small part of the city.

Bakhmut covers an area of about 41.6 square kilometers and was home to more than 71,000 people before the war. After Russia launched the second phase of its campaign in Ukraine in April 2022, Bakhmut became the focus of fighting in Donetsk, with both sides trying to control the city.

Ukrainian officials and military commanders have said defending Bakhmut is "militarily necessary", saying the city is key to containing Russian forces in the Donbass region and preventing them from advancing further west.

It is unclear whether Russia will continue its westward push after Wagner withdraws from Bakhmut. Officials of the Russian-appointed Donetsk People's Republic have said they will rebuild Bakhmut and rename it Artemovsk, its Soviet-era name.

Hoai Thuong (Source: Reuters)

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