Ukrainian President V. Zelensky visited Bakhmut, social networks and various sources report, quoting photos of the same.
Exactly where he visited is not mentioned, leaving in the dark about Kiev's intentions in the region, although the Ukrainians are trying to save whatever remains in the city that is 71% occupied.
The Russian army pushes the Armed Forces of Ukraine out of the fortified area in Marinka
A major Russian attack is currently underway near Donetsk.
"Our units drove the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the fortified area in Marinka."
This was stated by the head of the press center of the group of military forces "South" Ivan Bigma.
“Our scouts detected a strong force of Ukrainian mortar units firing missiles at our assault teams.
The mortars were destroyed by MSTA-S self-propelled howitzer fire, allowing Russian fighter jets of the Southern Military District to dislodge the Ukrainians and capture the fortified area in Marinka," he said.
“In the direction of Avdiyka, Russian soldiers of the artillery brigade of the 1st Army Corps during the night, using thermal imaging, detected an attempt to move Ukrainian fighters.
After waiting for the time when the entire enemy group would gather at one point, with precise fire from anti-tank systems, they annihilated the enemy unit", he continued.
Attack on multiple points by the Russian armed forces
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that in the directions of Avdiyka, Marinka, the Russian army is conducting offensive operations.
In the Marinka area there were 20 strong attacks. Under the strikes are the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the districts of Lastochkino, Orlovka, Thin, Georgievka, Nevelskoye.
Are the passages to Bakhmut closed with 10000 Ukrainian soldiers trapped?
"The Russian Army has effectively blocked Bakhmut," Yan Gagin, adviser to the acting head of Donbas, said on the Rossiya 1 TV channel, which Zelensky's presence in that city denies.
"The Ukrainian garrison in Bakhmut has about ten thousand people," he added.
At the same time, Gagin noted that in Chasov Yar, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to counterattack the city, gathering a "quite large military force."
"These are several thousand, maybe tens of thousands of Ukrainian forces.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have enough troops to form shock units and armored groups in order to "invade and occupy these territories," Gagin explained.
On Friday, Gagin reported that all accessible roads in Bakhmut are within range of Russian heavy artillery, and that Russian forces have liberated about 70 percent of the city."
Right now, Russian multiple rocket launchers, attack helicopters and fighters are pounding a large front, the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Apparently, the scheme of cutting off the Ukrainians from the supply routes, tested in Bakhmut, is also used here.
"If the supply lines are cut, the encirclement of the Ukrainian group in Avdiyka and the liberation of the city will only be a matter of time," Russian sources emphasize.
The Russian units attacking the area are the 53rd Mechanized Brigade, the 36th Marine Brigade, the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, the 6th Independent Sniper Battalion, units of the 59th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, as well as the 55th Artillery Brigade.
By March 2023, losses of some units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at Avdiivka reached 40% of normal strength, while Russian losses were also very severe.
The total number of operational reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Avdiyka is estimated at 1.2 - 1.6 thousand people.
Due to the imminent threat of encirclement of Ukrainian troops, these forces are gradually entering the fray, but are operating mainly on the flanks, north of the Krasnagorovka and Stepovoe regions.
What is the significance of the cities Marinka and Avdeevka
The city is a strategic hub as well as an industrial center where the Avdiivka Coal and Chemical Plant (AKHZ) is located, and is the largest producer of coal tar and other materials in Europe.
The civilian population of the city before the start of the Russian invasion was 32 thousand people.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner, sent an appeal to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, warning of an imminent counterattack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to him, his "mercenaries" control about 70% of Bahmut's territory and will continue the attack until the city is completely liberated.
All indications are that the Russians expect the Ukrainian counterattack and the Ukrainians expect the Russian one, for their own reasons. But everything has been put on the final stretch as the next attacks will also determine the future of Ukraine, at all levels.
