MOSCOW, May 2 Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Alexander Syrsky said that the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made a number of decisions to strengthen the defense of Artemovsk, more than 80% of which is already controlled by Russian troops.
«We continue to conduct defensive operations and contain (the enemy — ed.) in the east. I came to our soldiers who are performing combat missions in the Bakhmut (Artemovsk — ed.) direction. Together with the commanders, we made a number of necessary decisions aimed at ensuring effective defense,» Syrsky wrote in his Telegram channel. He said that despite all the forecasts, the Ukrainian military manages to hold Artemivsk.
Artemovsk (in Ukraine, the pre-revolutionary version of the name of the city — Bakhmut is officially adopted) is located in the DPR to the north of the large city of Gorlovka. It is an important transport hub for supplying the Ukrainian group of troops in the Donbass. Fierce battles have been going on outside the city for many months. On April 11, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, whose fighters are involved in the liberation of the city, said that Russian forces controlled more than 80% of the territory of Artemovsk. On April 30, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that assault detachments, with the support of the Airborne Forces and the «Southern» group of troops, continue to push Ukrainian troops out of Artyomovsk, and four more quarters of the city were liberated in a day. On May 1, Prigozhin reported that Wagner fighters had advanced 100-150 meters in Artemovsk on Saturday, leaving 2.98 square kilometers of the city territory behind the enemy.