Russia has lost more than 60,<> troops as a result of attempts to capture Bakhmut.

Writes about it Sky News with reference to a Western official.

The official added that the total number of Russian losses in Ukraine now exceeds 200,<>, and there are signs that Ukraine could launch a counteroffensive in the coming weeks.

"We believe that capturing Bakhmut probably cost Russia at least 60,000 casualties in this sector of Bakhmut-Popasna during the year-long battle," the source said.

According to him, this figure is a "conservative estimate" of Russian losses in this sector of the front, which includes both wounded and dead. Of these, at least a third were killed.

The interlocutor of the publication called Bakhmut "strategically unimportant" from the point of view of a full-scale war.

"In Bakhmut, we are now assessing that Ukrainian elements have withdrawn from the main housing of the city. We see that PMC Wagner forces are withdrawing, at least for now. Replacing them requires considerable effort from Russia's already overburdened regular forces," the official added.

Earlier, the representative of the National Guard, Colonel Mykola Urshalovich, said that in the Bakhmut direction, the occupiers almost lost the initiative.

Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky explained the lull in the Bakhmut direction by the fact that the format of the operation had been changed.

Read also:

• Maliar spoke about the insidious plan of the occupiers in the Bakhmut direction
• The "Mamay" soldier spoke about the situation in Bakhmut directly from the enemy trenches: "Most of the Wagnerians remained in this land"
• The enemy sat on the old positions of the defenders and "pours" artillery: a wounded soldier told how he manages to hold Bakhmut

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