More than 700 commandos of the Special Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are preparing to storm the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the Russian administration of the Zaporozhye region, said on the air of Soloviev.Live.
“More than 700 Ukrainian special forces are in the Kyiv-controlled part of the Zaporizhia region. They are preparing to storm the nuclear power plant.”
At the same time, Denis Pushilin, acting as the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), announced on the air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel about the successes in the offensive of the Russian troops in the Bakhmut (Artemovsk) region.
The town of Bakhmut is located in the Kyiv-controlled part of the DPR, north of Gorlovka. It is an important transport hub for resupplying the Ukrainian troop group in Donbass. According to the Ministry of Defense, in the last 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to counterattack in the Artemovsk direction with the forces of four tactical company groups to stop the advance of Russian troops, but were intercepted. Their losses amounted to 80 soldiers, one tank, three armored fighting vehicles, two trucks and one car.
In the morning, the General Staff of Ukraine reported that the main directions of the Russian offensive were near Bakhmut, Avdeevka and the Liman direction (where until yesterday they were traditionally on the defensive). In the remaining areas, positional battles are taking place or the Armed Forces of Ukraine are advancing.
Russian Telegram channels, as well as resources associated with Wagner PMC, claim that Russian units have advanced south of Bakhmut, capturing several settlements, including Andreevka, Zelenopolie and Ozaryanovka. Ukraine did not confirm this information.
If these villages are actually captured, then the Russians open the road to Klestshevka and Krasnoe, which threatens to block Bakhmut from the south and block the road to the city from Konstantinovka – one of the two main supply routes for the Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut.
More generally, in recent days, Ukrainian and Western sources have been writing a lot about the difficult situation in Bakhmut. According to “Suspilny” journalist Victoria Hamaza, in two days 500 wounded people came from the city and the flow does not stop. There are street fights in some areas of Bahamut. “There is no light and water. People cook outdoors, in basements and in surviving entrances. In some areas there is a terrible smell of a corpse,” Hamaza said.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine brought reinforcements to the city, including special forces and defense formations. The backbone of Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut is a “combination of various units”, including the 93rd Mechanized Brigade and the 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which are being depleted by constant Russian attacks.
The increased pressure on Bahmut is linked to the transfer of Russian reinforcements from the Kherson front. The Russians have increased the number of personnel. Otherwise, the tactics of the Russian Federation here are reminiscent of the capture of Severodonietsk and Rubizhne, where heavy shelling took place. But in the case of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian artillery responds much more actively.
At the same time, according to experts, the battle for Bakhmut is important for Russia not only for capturing the city, but also for depleting Ukraine’s resources. Russia could turn the city into a resource black hole for Kyiv, which would have to withdraw troops from other priority areas.
