Lugansk officials have revealed the heavy losses of Ukrainian troops in the fighting with Russia in the city of Bakhmut.
“In the past week, Ukrainian forces lost about 1,500 people and about 3,000 were wounded in Bakhmut. Of the wounded, about 20% were seriously injured and they will be discharged later,” said Andrey Marochko, a retired lieutenant colonel. retired from the militia of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic, citing Russian reconnaissance data, said on March 27.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced on March 26 those units of Russia’s southern combat forces, with the support of air and artillery fire, killed more than 200 Ukrainian servicemen in the area. Donetsk front in 24 hours.
According to Konashenkov, Russian forces also eliminated about 60 Ukrainian servicemen from fighting in the southern regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia in one day.
An official of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic said on March 26 that about 70 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered to Russian forces in the past two weeks, and most of them voluntarily laid down their arms in the hope of preserving their integrity. network. According to the data of Donetsk officials, most of them are fighting on the Avdeyevka, Donetsk, and Ugledar fronts.
Ukraine: Wagner organization suffers great losses
Meanwhile, Ukrainian border guards also confirmed the casualties of the Russian private military organization Wagner in the city of Bakhmut on March 26. Wagner forces have been fighting alongside Russian regular troops in eastern Ukraine for months.
“The air reconnaissance group of the border (Ukraine) forces detected a group of Wagner gunmen in Bakhmut. A mortar attack forced the enemy’s forces to disperse. At least 15 mercenaries (Wagner) ) were killed in the attack,” the Ukrainian border guard added.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia continues to suffer losses in fighting throughout Ukraine. On March 26, Ukraine announced that it had killed 610 Russian servicemen, and destroyed 7 artillery systems, 6 armored fighting vehicles, and a multiple rocket launcher system.
The city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region is the site of the fiercest battles in Ukraine today. According to Yan Gagin, an adviser to the acting leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian forces currently control 70% of Bakhmut and Russia is encircling Bakhmut from three directions.
The paved roads leading to Bakhmut were cut off or within range of Russian artillery fire, making it difficult for Ukrainian forces there to resupply. However, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stated that there is no indication that Ukrainian forces are planning to withdraw from Bakhmut. Kyiv insists the city’s defenses will be fortified.
Marochko said Ukraine was assembling forces and equipment near Bakhmut. This is a sign that Kyiv is preparing to launch a major battle in the region. He said that Ukrainian servicemen who had been trained in Western countries are now starting to come to this area to fight. According to Marochko, they were fairly well-trained, while Western-supplied armored vehicles moved from western Ukraine to the front line.