According to the report from the Institute for the Study of War, there is increasing competition between Russian private military companies in the fighting for Bachmut.
ISW analysts note that in a video address to Russian President Vladimir Putin, fighters of the PMC “Potok” (according to reports, one of three volunteer units of the Russian state energy company “Gazprom”) claim that officials of “Gazprom” told members of “Potok” that they would sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), but then forced them to sign contracts with PMC “Redut”.
What could this lead to?
One of the fighters of “Potok” claimed that “Gazprom” created two more subdivisions – “Fakel” and “Plamya”, which are subordinated to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The report also mentions that “Potok” fighters reported on the bad behavior of the “Wagner” militants, who threatened to shoot “Potok” fighters if they move away from the front line.
Various sources reported that the fighters of “Potok” had left their positions in Bakhmut. The reason for this was cited as a lack of ammunition. According to ISW’s assessments, Yevgeny Prigozhin likely sees the increasing number of PMCs around Bakhmut as competition, and it seems that the strengthening of the presence of other private military formations in the area could lead to significant divergences.
Also, according to the gathered data, the report states that Russia appears to be continuing its targeted depopulation campaign in the occupied territories of Ukraine to facilitate the settlement of Russians in Ukrainian territory.
The situation in Bakhmut: the main points
In the morning briefing of the General Staff on April 27th, it was reported that the main efforts of the enemy are focused on conducting offensive actions in the directions of Bahmut, Avdiivka.
“The enemy continues its offensive operations in Bakhmut. Heavy fighting for the city is ongoing,” the report states.
According to the Chief Press Officer of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss,” Mykyta Shandyba, Ukrainian forces are preparing a “surprise” for the Russian occupiers in Bakhmut.
Shandyba stated that the situation in the city is dire. The occupiers are attempting to break through the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but they are not succeeding. Although the Russians are using artillery and infantry to achieve this.