Russia assured today that it had made progress in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that has been the epicenter of the fighting for months, while Ukrainian forces accused the Kremlin of killing eleven civilians, including a two-year-old boy, in a bombardment. to a building near that battlefront.
“Wagner assault units have successfully advanced, capturing two blocks on the northern and southern periphery” of Bakhmut, the Russian Defense Ministry said on the Telegram messaging network, reporting “more intense fighting” on the front line. .
The Wagner paramilitary group is in the front line of the battle, supported by army artillery and paratroopers.
According to Moscow, Ukrainian troops are “pulling back and deliberately destroying the city’s infrastructure and residential buildings to slow down the advance” of Russian forces.
“The (Russian) airborne troops are holding back the enemy on the flanks and supporting the actions of the assault groups to take the city,” he added.
Russia claimed yesterday that it was advancing west of Bakhmut to seize the last part of the largely destroyed city, which remained under the control of the Ukrainian army.
On Thursday he claimed to be blockading Ukrainian forces in the town and preventing reinforcements from entering, suggesting the town, the scene of the bloodiest battle since the Russian offensive began, was about to fall.
Ukraine denied these claims, saying it continues to supply Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut and inflict “losses” on the Russians.
On the other hand, Kiev accused the Kremlin of killing eleven people, including a two-year-old boy, in a bombardment against a residential building in the city of Sloviansk, also in eastern Ukraine and very close to Bakhmut.
“The number of victims of the shelling has risen to 11,” Veronika Bajal, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s emergency service for the eastern Donetsk region, said on television. The previous balance was nine dead and 21 wounded.
Among the dead is a two-year-old boy who was pulled out of the rubble alive, but died shortly after in the ambulance, said Daria Zarivna, adviser to President Volodimir Zelensky, quoted by the AFP news agency.
Sloviansk is located in the part of the Donetsk region under Ukrainian control, 45 kilometers northwest of Bakhmut, close to the zone occupied by Russia.
The bombing occurred yesterday, the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill that will facilitate the mobilization of young people in the army.
In September he ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reservists, but the process was slow and often chaotic.
The new law authorizes the mobilization of reservists electronically, through a public services portal, or even through a notification delivered to third parties, when until now it was only personal.
The police have the right to prosecute “refractory”, who refuse to receive the summons, who can be sentenced to prison terms.
In addition, the refusal to appear at the recruitment office will deprive Russians of working as entrepreneurs or self-employed, receiving loans or having a home or car. These measures also affect Russians who have fled their country and are working remotely.
Source: Ambito
