KYIV: Reports of a Ukrainian breakthrough on the front line of the Ukraine/Russia war have been denied by Russia even though the claim was made by pro-Russia sources.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group fighting on the Russian side, accused regular Russian military troops of abandoning positions around Bakhmut.
Russian forces bloggers reported Ukrainian advances and troop movements in many areas on Thursday.
The Kremlin denied Ukraine had made any critical advances.
Russia’s defence ministry said, “The individual declarations on Telegram about the ‘breakthrough’ on many points on the frontline do not correspond to reality.”
“The general circumstance in the military operation zone is under control,” it added, using Russia’s term for the invasion.
The Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian armed forces had probably made gains in the eastern city of Bakhmut, forcing the Russian military back in some places of the front by around two kilometres.
And the United States-based think tank said that the Russian defence ministry acknowledging “the Ukrainian counterattacks uncharacteristically quickly” – by denying them – indicated “raised panic”.
On Friday morning, the exiled mayor of Melitopol reported the large explosion in the centre of the city in south-eastern Ukraine, which Russia has occupied since the start of the war.
Ukraine’s armed forces said that it’s not known what caused the blast. But the Ukrainian air force made 14 strikes on Russian military equipment on Thursday.
Alongside the air strikes, Ukraine said it destroyed nine Russian drones and successfully attacked dozens of military targets – including artillery units, the ammunition warehouse and air defence equipment.
Ukraine’s president said it was too early on Thursday to start a counteroffensive.
“With [what we’ve], we can go forward and, I think, be successful,” President Zelensky said in an interview for public service broadcasters who are members of Eurovision News, like the BBC.
“But we did lose many citizens. I think that’s unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time.”
