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By Isabel van Brugen
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Russia's Wagner Group has breached Ukrainian lines to take control of the eastern portion of the city of Bakhmut, according to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Citing Russian sources, the ISW, a U.S. think tank, said in its daily update of the war that Russian troops made marginal advances within Bakhmut in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region on Tuesday.
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The eastern town has been targeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops for months, without much success. Leading the fight in Bakhmut are fighters recruited by the notorious mercenary unit the Wagner Group, which was founded by Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin.
On Tuesday, Wagner Group forces broke through Ukrainian defensive lines in the eastern part of Bakhmut and established full control of the Bakhmut Champagne Winery and Siniat enterprise, the ISW said, citing the pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar.
Rybar reported on Tuesday that Russian assault groups are also advancing to the northeast of Bakhmut, while claiming that the command of Ukraine's armed forces are carrying out an "emergency rotation of personnel to maintain combat capability."
Russian milbloggers also claimed that Russian troops are advancing down several streets in the southeastern and eastern sectors of Bakhmut, the ISW noted.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian General Staff noted that Ukrainian troops are continuing to repel Russian assaults northeast of Bakhmut near Verkhnokamianske, Soledar, Yakovlivka, and Bakhmutske and south of Bakhmut near Klishchiivka, Kurdiumivka, and Mayorsk.
The ISW also cited WarGonzo, a project launched by Russian journalist Semyon Pegov. It reported on Tuesday that Russian troops have established control of 90 percent of Opytne, located nearly 2 miles south of Bakhmut.
"Russian sources continue to emphasize heavy Ukrainian losses and claim that Ukrainian troops are rotating or entirely withdrawing from parts of Bakhmut," the think tank said.
The battle for Bakhmut ramped up after Russian troops withdrew from the city of Kherson last month. Capturing the region would provide the Russian army with a morale boost following a string of military defeats elsewhere in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken out against Russian "craziness" in its efforts to capture Bakhmut.
"This is where the craziness of the Russian command is most evident," Zelensky said in late October. "Day after day, for months, they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes."
Newsweek has contacted the foreign ministries of Russia and Ukraine for comment.
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