Sergei Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces, told CNN that there is no mass withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Bakhmut.
He called the withdrawal of some units a planned rotation, and the city remains under the control of the Ukrainian army.
The latest British intelligence indicates an increase in close combat in the Bakhmut area.
The Russian command continues to conduct offensive operations with the participation of infantry and with less artillery support, since Russia does not have enough ammunition.
In particular, the Russian mobilized say that the infantry is thrown into battle with “firearms and sapper shovels.” The British claim that the Russian military command is advancing on Bakhmut in the face of a shortage of artillery shells.
British experts draw attention to the statements of Russian soldiers who said that they received an order to storm the Ukrainian fortified points, having only firearms and shovels. The British Ministry of Defense does not indicate the source of this report, but, apparently, it refers to statements by soldiers mobilized from near Serpukhov. Their appeal first appeared in telegram channels on February 27.
MPL-50 [мала піхотна лопата] little has changed since it was designed in 1869, and its use as a weapon demonstrates the brutality and low-tech combat that now characterizes much of the war, according to the code of the British Ministry of Defense.
One of the reservists in the appeal said that he was not ready for such a collision either physically or psychologically. British intelligence notes that close combat is becoming more common in the course of the war in Ukraine. According to analysts, this is due to the fact that the Russian command insists on continuing the offensive, despite the lack of necessary ammunition.
Source: Racurs
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