Successful counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminated the threat posed by the Russian encirclement of the Defense Forces in Bakhmut, Donetsk region. This forced the Russian army to allocate resources to defend against limited and local Ukrainian offensive operations.

This is stated in a recent report by the Institute for the Study of War.

"Ukrainian counterattacks near Bakhmut likely removed the threat of Russia encircling Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut and forced Russian forces to allocate scant military resources to defend against limited and local offensive efforts, as the Ukrainian command likely planned," the ISW report said.

It is noted that Russian troops have concentrated most of their reserves in the Bakhmut area and slowed down the counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the past day. Analysts, referring to Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar, write that the occupiers concentrated most of their reserves in the Bakhmut direction, which slowed down the pace of the offensive of Ukrainian troops. According to her, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue counterattacks on the northern and southern outskirts of Bakhmut and advanced 500 meters on one flank and 1000,<> meters on the other.

Some Russian bloggers positively perceived the slowdown in the Ukrainian pace of advance and claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were allegedly unable to withstand prolonged local counterattacks in the Bakhmut area. However, Russian forces on the flanks of the city are likely to remain weak, ISW experts emphasize.

The situation in Bakhmut. ISW battle map.

In turn, the leader of the PMC "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin on 19 May continued to criticize the Russian 4th Motorized Rifle Brigade (2nd Army Corps of "LPR") for retreating from defensive lines south-west of the village of Ivanovske (6 km west of Bakhmut).

To recap, the Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to advance near Bakhmut. However, it is not easy to liberate the territories, because the occupying forces are trying to regain lost positions. Fierce fighting continues in the Bakhmut sector. The Russian occupiers concentrated a large number of their forces in this area.

Read also:

  • Advancing and trying to capture the city: Maliar named the three hottest areas on the front
  • Not a counteroffensive, but "found slack": fighters told how they managed to liberate the territory near Bakhmut
  • Summer is on the way: why the spring counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has not yet begun — AP