By KYIV. May 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian forces likely broke through some Russian lines in localized counterattacks near Bakhmut, according to the report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) for May 11.
“Ukrainian Eastern Group of Forces Commander Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky stated that Russian forces retreated up to two kilometers behind Russian lines in unspecified sectors of the Bakhmut front. Syrsky’s confirmation of Ukrainian gains prompted a response from Prigozhin, who claimed that Ukrainian forces have started the counteroffensive and recaptured three kilometers of ground in and around Bakhmut,” the report reads.
At the same time, analysts note that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MoD) acknowledged the Ukrainian counterattacks uncharacteristically quickly, claiming that Russian forces repelled eight ground attacks and three reconnaissance-in-force efforts in the Donetsk direction but denied reports that Ukrainian forces broke through the Russian defensive lines.
The ISW also informs that the deployment of low-quality Russian forces on the flanks around Bakhmut suggests that the Russian MoD has largely abandoned the aim of encircling a significant number of Ukrainian forces there.
It is reported that Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk in Kharkiv region and along the Svatove-Kreminna line in Luhansk region on May 11. They also attacked Ukrainian positions to the west of Huliai-Pole in Zaporizhia region and in Kherson region.
