Ukrainian soldiers control Bakhmut-Horlivka road under direct fire

The Ukrainian Defence Forces are now controlling the Bakhmut-Horlivka road under direct fire, meaning that supply for Russian units on this front has become much more difficult.

Source: Illia Yevlash, press service chief for Operational Command Skhid (East), during the national 24/7 newscast

Quote: "The fight is dynamic in both areas, but the types of operations are different: we are defending on the Kupiansk-Lyman front, trying to hold back the enemy's onslaught, while on the Bakhmut front we are having success and are continuing to push them out of their positions.

The enemy keeps pursuing its goal of capturing Luhansk and Donetsk oblast. On the Bakhmut front, the enemy is now intensively trying to regain positions in the liberated Andriivka and Klishchiivka, two very important settlements in terms of the defence of Bakhmut.

It is 7 km from Klishchiivka to Bakhmut. The exposure of this flank allows us to inflict more artillery strikes on the areas where enemy personnel, enemy command posts, equipment and more are concentrated.

The breach near Andriivka and Klishchiivka allows us to get closer to the Bakhmut-Horlivka road, which we are already controlling under direct fire. It’s within range of mortars and anti-tank guns now. Therefore, enemy supply on this front has become much more difficult and will become more difficult in the future."

Details: Yevlash said that the defenders are continuing the offensive operation on the southern flank near Bakhmut: "We are having success near Andriivka, Odradivka, and also Kurdiumivka."

He added that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are continuing to strike where the occupiers least expect it and continue to move forward with much smaller forces compared to the Russians despite their dominance in the air.

Yevlash stated that the Russian army is suffering 7-8 times more casualties in defence than the Ukrainian army in the offensive.

He reported that in the past day, the Russians hit the positions of Ukrainian defenders 1,100 times in the strip of the Eastern Group of Forces, while on the Bakhmut front, there were 576 artillery strikes, the Russians used their tactical and army aircraft 5 times, and 10 combat clashes took place.

Yevlash says that the greatest concentration of Russian forces is currently observed on the Lyman-Kupiansk front: the Russians are maintaining more than 110,000 personnel there, a large number of armoured vehicles, artillery systems and multiple-launch rocket systems.

He added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not observed any combat clashes on this front for about a week, but the Russians are continuing to shell Ukrainian positions. Over the past day, the Russian army launched 552 artillery strikes on this front and used aircraft 17 times.

Yevlash emphasised that the Russians have focused a lot of attention on the Kreminna area, where 190 attacks took place and aircraft were used 10 times. Also near Siversk, in the area of Bilohorivka and Rozdolivka, the Russians used artillery more than 150 times.

Previously: On 20 September, UK Defence Intelligence reported that Russia is still controlling a railway line near the recently liberated settlement of Klishchiivka but its defence has likely weakened in the city of Bakhmut, while the Defence Forces of Ukraine are approaching the road the Russians use as a supply route to Bakhmut from the south of Ukraine.

Background:

• On 15 September, the General Staff of Ukraine reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had liberated Andriivka during their assault actions, are continuing their offensive, and had had partial success in the area of Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast. Later, soldiers of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade posted new footage of the operation to liberate Andriivka in the Bakhmut district of Donetsk Oblast.
• On 17 September, the Liut (Rage) United Assault Brigade of the National Police of Ukraine confirmed the liberation of the village of Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast.
• The Institute for the Study of War suggested that it is possible that the Ukrainian liberation of two villages that Russian forces were desperately trying to hold corresponds with the severe degradation of the Russian units defending them.

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