“Constant” fighting in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is “real hell” as Russian troops try to take control of the Kostyantynivka-Bakhmut highway, a Ukrainian commander said in an interview with Ukrainian television on Monday, CNN. However, Russia was forced to send airborne troops after Wagner’s group suffered heavy losses in men and weapons.

“For five to six months, Bakhmut was a real hell. The enemy is constantly attacking. And we can watch further how it changes, which, by the way, greatly affects the fighting capacity, morale and living conditions of everyone. serviceman,” said Volodymyr Nazarenko, deputy commander of the Svoboda Battalion of the 4th Rapid Response Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.

The “Wagner Group” suffered heavy losses, mercenaries are being replaced by paratroopers

He said he could not say for sure whether Russian forces had launched a full-scale offensive or whether their tactics had changed, but it appeared the Wagner fighters had now been replaced by Russian airborne forces.

Next, Nazarenko noted that Ukrainian fighters “do an incredible job” and are “real heroes.”

“The enemy is trying to take control of the highway Kostyantynivka – Bakhmut. Nothing works. Our soldiers are teaching: the Armed Forces and the National Guard are doing an incredible job, they are real heroes. And the enemy suffers. huge losses,” he said.

“We see that the “Wagner” anti-aircraft missile defense system has been almost completely destroyed. Now they have been replaced by the landing force, which also suffers losses not only in soldiers but also in armored vehicles almost every day,” he added.

CNN has not been able to independently confirm the casualty claims, but satellite images taken near a village in Russia show a rapidly expanding cemetery where many of the dead fighting alongside the Wagner Group are buried.

On January 2, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti showed the founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who visited the site and laid a wreath at one of the graves.

Wagner’s mercenaries got into a long and exhausting battle with Ukrainian forces, captured the city of Soledar and are now taking part in the assault on the city of Bakhmut and the surrounding villages. Ukrainian officials say the Wagner sent waves of infantry into their positions and suffered heavy casualties.

Ukraine stated that the Russian offensive on Bakhmut has not ended, but the situation on the front line there is becoming more and more difficult. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Friday that this is acute.