The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged the retreat of its forces from positions north of Bakhmut. This was stated at a briefing by the official representative of the Ministry Igor Konashenkov.
"The units of the 'South' group of Russian troops occupied the line, taking into account the favorable conditions of the Berkhovsky reservoir," Konashenkov said, explaining this as "the goal of increasing the stability of the defense." Earlier, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company Wagner, reported on the breakthrough of the Ukrainian army in this area.
Ukraine may launch not one, but several counter-offensives to liberate territories seized by Russian forces, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the country's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), said. "The only question is time. Whether one or several operations will be carried out depends on many circumstances. We will not be limited by time, we will fight as long as necessary," he said.
