Russia-Ukraine War: Bakhmut Still a Target for Moscow, Says Ukraine Military

The Ukrainian military said its forces were able to inflict damage on a unit of Russian troops near Bakhmut. However, the military said that Moscow is still aiming to capture the key city.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military said it was able to inflict a lot of damage on the Russian 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade near Bakhmut, but the eastern city remained a major target for Moscow. Ukraine’s military spokesperson for its forces in the east, Serhiy Cherevatvi, said the situation on the ground in Bakhmut continues to be “difficult” but that Russia was forced to deploy its regular army units due to the losses incurred by the Wagner paramilitary group.

“Unfortunately they have not destroyed the whole brigade yet, two companies have been seriously damaged there,” said Cherevatyi in televised remarks. “The situation remains difficult because for the enemy, despite all the white noise Prigozhin is trying to create, it is the main direction of attack, the main coveted target.”

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose fighters have been leading the assault on the city, said on Tuesday that the Russian 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions in Bakhmut.

The British defense ministry said in its intelligence bulletin that the Russian defense ministry was ramping up a campaign to recruit convicts in Russian prisons to fight on the ground in Ukraine. The ministry said that in April this year, up to 10,000 convicts signed up to fight on the ground.

Meanwhile, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland approved the first transfer of forfeited Russian assets for use in Ukraine’s reconstruction on Wednesday.

This follows the Justice Department’s charging of Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev with evading sanctions Washington has imposed on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February last year. The DOJ said Malofeyev provided funds to Russians promoting separatism in the annexed Crimean peninsula.

At that time, Garland said he also announced “the seizure of millions of dollars from an account at a US financial institution traceable to Malofeyev’s sanctions violations.”

In February, Garland said he authorized the transfer of that money for use in Ukraine. Garland also said in a statement this week that this will not be the last authorized transfer of funds for use in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Photo by Dpsu.gov.ua / Wikimedia Commons(CC by 2.0)