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A recent fight between Russian army soldiers and mercenaries from the Wagner Group reportedly escalated into a shootout in Stanytsia Luhanska, located in the Russian-controlled Luhansk Oblast of Eastern Ukraine, according to claims made by the Ukrainian General Staff.
The daily evening briefing stated that casualties were reported on both sides during the clash, as per a report from Sky News.
Ukrainian forces have reported “unprecedented bloody battles” in Bakhmut, as Kyiv continues desperately to hold off Russian offensives in the embattled eastern city.
“Bloody battles unprecedented in recent decades are taking place in the middle of the city’s urban area,” said Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern military
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The Wagner Group PMC keeps sustaining heavy losses in Bakhmut, causing the Russian command to send elite army units, including paratroopers, to capture the city. This was announced by Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the eastern grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the national telethon, UNIAN reports.
According to him, the Russians are not reinforcing their grouping, but are taking forced measures due to systematic and enormous losses as the Wagner Group faces challenges in replenishing their losses, especially after the flow of Russian prisoners has decreased.
Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, has said that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is planning to conduct a counter-offensive on several fronts, but it all depends on the weather conditions.
The Ukrainian troops are also waiting for the “right moment”, and Reznikov believes it will happen in April or May.
Russian forces have made progress in their campaign to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the focus of the war’s longest ground battle, but their assault will be difficult to sustain without more significant personnel losses, British military officials said Saturday.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest assessment that paramilitary units from the Kremlin-controlled Wagner Group have seized most of eastern Bakhmut, with a river flowing through the city now marking the front line of the fighting.