Vladimir Putin’s troops have almost lost their strength in the offensive on Bakhmut and are shifting their attention to Avdiyivka and Kremini, where they only want to stabilize the front line, according to British military analysts.

The Ministry of Defense of Great Britain said that the Russian assault on the city of Bakhmut in Donbas has almost stopped. Saturday morning rating.

Most likely, such a situation was reached due to extremely heavy losses of Moscow troops, the cited source notes, noting that “Ukraine also suffered heavy losses during the defense of the city.”

“Furthermore, the Russian situation is likely to have worsened due to tensions between the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Wagner Group, both of which are contributing troops to the sector,” the British experts added.

“Russia has likely shifted its operational focus to Avdiivka, south of Bakhmut, and to the Kremina-Svatov sector in the north, areas where Moscow is likely only seeking to stabilize its front line.

This signals a return to a more defensive operational design following the failure of its attempts to launch an all-out offensive in January 2023,” the British Ministry of Defense said.

10,000 civilians live in Bakhmut’s hell

It will be recalled that on Thursday the commander of the Ground Forces of Ukraine said that the Russian assault on Bakhmut, a small town that was at the center of the biggest battle of the war, seems to be losing speed, and Kyiv may go on the offensive. soon”. .

Ukrainian forces that appeared to be retreating a few weeks ago have instead remained in position, a strategy that some Western military experts see as risky given the need to preserve forces for a counterattack.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said late Friday that about 10,000 Ukrainian civilians, many of them elderly and disabled, were living in “very difficult conditions” in and around Bakhmut.

“They … spend almost all days under intense fire in shelters [subterane]. These are people who have reached the limit of their existence, survival and endurance,” said Umar Khan of the ICRC.

The Russians fear an imminent Ukrainian offensive

The military command in Moscow had so far given no public signal that the Bakhmut offensive was about to fail, but Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner’s mercenaries, sent several worried messages, including a warning that a Ukrainian offensive was imminent.

Reuters reporters near the front line in northern Bakhmut reported on Friday that they had seen signs that indeed suggested that the Russian offensive was waning.

A week ago it was really “hot” here, but the last 3 days it has become quieter,” says a Ukrainian military man nicknamed “Kamin”.

“We can see this from the enemy’s airstrikes. If earlier there were 5-6 raids per day, today we had only one helicopter attack,” he added.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleg Zhdanov said that Russia is paying attention to the city of Avdiyivka in the south of Donetsk Oblast, as attacks on Bakhmut are decreasing.

Zhdanov also reported that Russian troops have become more active in areas in the north of Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, as well as in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.