Prick-ozhin claims that Wagner forces have captured Bakhmut. The head of the UAF denies this.
https://apnews.com/article/bakhmut-r...decd40b17d2d8b
Obviously, take Prick-ozhin's claims with a grain of salt. However, if what he says is true, that's not necessarily a bad thing for Ukraine, strategically-speaking. Reports earlier this week (confirmed) indicated that the UAF had gained ground on both Russian flanks, north and south of the city. If Bakhmut has indeed been captured, Wagner and the Russians may have laid a trap for themselves in the salient they've created. I'd love to see the long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive slice through the shoulders of the bulge, trap Wagner and the Russian forces now in the Bakhmut salient, and tear a huge hole in the Russian's lines. From what I've read over the past couple of months, the Russians haven't fortified the front lines around Bakhmut has much as they have the neck of the Crimean peninsula. If that is indeed the case, it makes a lot of sense for Ukraine to try to breach the Russian lines around Bakhmut and exploit same with deep penetrations where their new, Leopard II-equiped maneuver brigades can take advantage of the open ground.
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