Russia, itinanggi ang mga pag-aangkin na napasok na ng Ukraine ang Bakhmut
Military medics give first aid to a wounded Ukrainian serviceman at a frontline medical stabilisation point near the frontline city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, on May 4, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
Pinabulaanan ng Russia ang pag-aangkin ng pro-Moscow bloggers at ng pinuno ng Wagner mercenary group, na napasok na ng Ukrainian troops ang siyudad ng Bakhmut.
Una nang sinabi ng isang senior Ukrainian military official, na umatras ang Russian forces sa ilang lugar malapit sa Bakhmut matapos ang limitadong counter-attacks ng Kyiv forces sa paligid ng eastern city.
Inamin din ng pinuno ng Wagner private military company ng Russia na si Yevgeny Prigozhin, na ang mga puwersa ay nasa front line ng labanan para sa Bakhmut, na tatlong araw nang matagumpay na napapasok ng ilang Ukrainian units ang ilang lugar.
Sinabi naman ng defence ministry sa isang pahayag, “The individual declarations on Telegram about a ‘breakthrough’ on several points on the front line do not correspond to reality.”
This video grab taken from a handout footage posted on May 5, 2023 on the Telegram account of the press-service of Concord — a company linked to the chief of Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin — shows Yevgeny Prigozhin addressing the Russian army’s top brass standing in front of Wagner fighters at an undisclosed location. (Photo by Handout / TELEGRAM/ @concordgroup_official / AFP)
Ang Bakhmut, na dating may populasyon ng humigit-kumulang 70,000 katao, ay nawasak nang magtagumpay ang Russian forces na masakop ang nasa 80% ng siyudad nitong nakalipas na mga buwan.
Sinabi ng defence ministry ng Russia, na napigil nito ang ilang pag-atake ng Ukrainian sa kabuuan ng araw,at idinagdag na ang nagpapatuloy na labanan nitong Huwebes ng gabi ay naganap malapit sa Malynivka sa silangang rehiyon ng Donetsk, na kinasasangkutan ng parehong air power at artillery.
Hindi ito nagbigay ng komento sa mga ulat ng umano’y pag-atras ng Russian troops malapit sa Bakhmut, ngunit sinabing “our forces were continuing to liberate the western parts of the city. The general situation in the special military operation zone is under control.”
Nitong Huwebes, ay sinabi ni Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky na kailangan pa nila ng panahon bago simulan ang lubhang inaasahang counter-offensive laban sa Russian forces.
Ayon kay Zelensky, “Mentally we’re ready. In terms of equipment, not everything has arrived yet. With (what we have) we can go forward and be successful. But we’d lose a lot of people. I think that’s unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time.”
© Agence France-Presse
