Russia Acknowledges Retreat North of Bakhmut, Wagner Boss Calls it a 'Rout'

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Russia acknowledges retreat north of Bakhmut, Wagner boss calls it a 'rout'​

By Olena Harmash and Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey
May 12, 2023

• Russia says some troops north of Bakhmut pull back to regroup
• 'A rout, not a regrouping,' says mercenary head
• Russia says 1,000 men, 40 tanks involved in Ukrainian assault
• Ukraine military says its forces advance

KYIV, May 12 (Reuters) - Moscow acknowledged on Friday that its forces had fallen back north of Ukraine's battlefield city of Bakhmut after a new Ukrainian offensive, in a retreat that the head of Russia's Wagner private army called a rout.
The setback for Russia, which follows similar reports of Ukrainian advances south of the city, suggests a coordinated push by Kyiv to encircle Russian forces in Bakhmut, Moscow's main objective for months during the war's bloodiest fighting."

""In three days of counter-offensive activity, the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Bakhmut sector have liberated 17.3 sq. km (6.6 sq. miles) of territory," Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the "east" group of Ukrainian forces, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Both sides are now reporting the biggest Ukrainian gains in six months, although Ukraine has given few details and played down suggestions a huge, long-planned counteroffensive has officially begun."

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https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...s-along-60-mile-front-russia-says-2023-05-12/