The mercenaries from the Wagner Group terrorist organization are no longer present in the area of Bakhmut, but there are occupiers from other Russian private military companies, in addition to regular Russian forces. Spokesperson of the Eastern Military Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy Cherevatyy, stated this during a telethon.
Commenting on yesterday’s news about the successes of the Defense Forces on the Bakhmut direction, Cherevatyy said, “The initiative is in our hands, and we continue to put pressure on the enemy. Details will be verified and substantiated later.”
During the day, according to his words, in this direction, 153 Russians were killed, 203 occupiers were wounded, and six Russians were taken captive. There were 17 clashes, with the Russians continuing to actively shell Ukrainian defenders and launching two airstrikes.
In response to a journalist’s question about any information regarding the presence of Wagner Group terrorists in the Bachmut area, Cherevatyy said, “No, they have left from there, or rather, shamefully fled. The main effective force there now is the enemy’s airborne units. And this is a clear indicator of how important it is for them to hold on to Bachmut.”
According to the spokesperson of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, besides the Russian airborne units, there are also occupation infantry units and other private military companies, including the Storm-Z, in the area of Bachmut.