According to British military intelligence, Ukrainian forces withdraw from part of the city BakhmutAnd It was disputed between the two armies for several months. And the British Ministry of Defense announced in its daily situation report that Russia intensified its attack on the city located in the eastern Donetsk region.
Russian forces and Wagner’s mercenary units strengthened their cooperation. “The Armed Forces of Ukraine have great supply problems, but they have withdrawn in an organized manner from the positions they were forced to give up. says the report. “Ukrainian defenses still control the western neighborhoods of the city, but they have come under particularly heavy Russian artillery fire over the past 48 hours.”
Wagner’s forces now concentrated on advancing towards the center of Bakhmut”While the Russian airborne forces provided relief for some units of the Wagner Group aimed at securing the northern and southern flanks of the operation.”
The assessment of the situation by British intelligence comes a day after the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the city is a strategic target for Russia. It has already been “blocked”, although the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, confirmed that Ukrainian forces still had room to move in the area.
More planes to Ukraine
The good news for Ukraine is that the German government has allowed Poland to send to Kiev Soviet-made fighter jets originally from the arsenals of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). “I am pleased to announce that we have authorized our Polish partners to send to Ukraine cEnco MiG-29 from the stocks of the former GDR armyDefense Minister Boris Pistorius said in remarks carried by a statement from his briefcase.
in 2002 Germany sold Poland 22 MiG 29 fighter jets from the GDR The contract stipulated that Warsaw would have to request permission from Berlin if it wanted to sell or transfer it. In late March, the security adviser to Polish President Andrzej Duda, Jacek Siwiera, said that Poland still had dozens of these planes.
Duda had announced during the visit of the Ukrainian President to Warsaw Volodymyr Zelensky, On 5 April, Poland was planning to cede all of its MiG 29s to Ukraine. Some representatives of the government coalition celebrated the decision even before it was officially confirmed and after it was presented by some German media.
Sunak talks to Zelensky
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday about the situation on the battlefield and more specifically about Pakhmut. “The prime minister commended the efforts of Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut,” said a statement issued on Friday from his official residence in Downing Street. The official note added that the politicians also talked about the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier who appeared on social media in recent days, which the prime minister described as “horrific,” and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
“The leaders also discussed efforts to accelerate military support to Ukraine. The prime minister said the UK and its allies must continue to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position,” the statement said, noting that Sunak and Zelensky promised to stay in touch. .
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