US sees no signs of Wagner retreat from Bakhmut – Politico

Wagner Group mercenaries continue to hold the majority of the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast and despite losses, have enough ammunition to hold back the advance of Ukrainian forces.

Source: Politico, citing two senior US officials

Commenting on the latest statements by the Wagnerites’ leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that the mercenaries lack ammunition and support from regular troops, Politico's sources called them unreliable.

According to several officials involved in White House discussions about Russia and the Wagner Group, Prigozhin's goal is merely to provoke a reaction in Moscow and force the Russian Ministry of Defence to send additional weapons.

They added that Wagner continues to hold significant stockpiles of ammunition and maintains control of at least 85% of Bakhmut. One of the officials said Chechen forces may still move into the city to help.

The US National Security Council refused to comment directly on "Prigozhin’s theatrics" to Politico.

"Prigozhin has treated his soldiers like cannon fodder, sacrificing their lives for small advances with no apparent strategic gain to try to achieve his political ends," a spokesperson for the US National Security Council said. 

Fighting in Bakhmut, which is one of the hottest areas of the Russo-Ukrainian war front, has generally been at a standstill in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, however, the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported that Ukrainian defenders had been able to conduct effective counterattacks on the Bakhmut front, as a result of which the occupiers had retreated to a distance of up to 2 km in some areas.

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