Ukraine Forces Launch Successful Bakhmut Counterattack—ISW

Ukrainian troops have made advances in areas around Bakhmut during limited counterattacks, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The U.S. think tank said on Wednesday that geolocated footage showed the successful operations by Kyiv's forces west and southwest of the Donetsk town, near Khromove and Bila Hora, on May 9 and 10.

Ukrainian sources said its forces had destroyed the 6th and 8th companies of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps near Bakhmut and advanced 1.6 miles along a 1.9 miles frontline.

Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade posted a video on social media purportedly showing combat with Russia's 72nd Brigade. The clip seemingly shows Russian soldiers running from armored vehicles.

Andriy Biletsky, the founder of Ukraine's Azov Regiment, said on Wednesday that the Russian brigade's 6th and 8th companies were "completely destroyed," in a video posted to Telegram, without providing evidence.

A day earlier, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose mercenaries are spearheading Moscow's efforts in the town, said Russia's 72nd Brigade had abandoned a strategic bridgehead in Bakhmut, exposing a 1.25-mile section of the front.

The latest video of the Ukrainian counterattack was tweeted by social media user Dan, who tracks military vehicle losses, and noted that the footage showed Kyiv's forces "trolling Prigozhin" with a "tank going bunker crushing."

The ISW said that attritional assaults around Bakhmut and "pervasive issues with Russian combat capability" make Russian forces vulnerable to localized Ukrainian attacks.

Despite the counterattacks, Wagner Group continued offensive operations as Prigozhin continues to complain his men have not received the requested ammunition.

In a Telegram post on Thursday, he said that his troops were continuing to move towards buildings on Bakhmut's western outskirts.

Prigozhin had previously given a cryptic response to speculation over who he was referring to during an expletive-filled video in which he took aim at the Russian military establishment and a "grandfather" who might be a "real a******", an insult believed to be directed at Vladimir Putin.

But Prigozhin said on Wednesday the "grandfather" could have been former deputy defense minister Mikhail Mizintsev, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, or reality TV star Natalya Khim.

Prigozhin's outbursts appear to be testing the patience of those he is criticizing, according to independent news outlet Meduza.

Kremlin sources told the outlet that Russian officials view Prigozhin's statements about the Russian Defense Ministry as a "serious threat." One source said the Wagner chief is acting "not as part of the same team and not out of the same interests" as Moscow.