UNRAVELING

Russian Troops Falling Back in Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner Say

The mercenary group’s boss made a public plea for the retreat to stop.

Ukraine and Russia’s Wagner Group both reported Russian retreats around the city of Bakhmut on Thursday as the blood-soaked battle for the territory rages on. The city in eastern Ukraine has been the setting of the most intense ground combat in Europe since the end of World War II, with Ukrainian forces withstanding a grinding months-long Russian assault attempting to seize complete control. The Ukrainian military claimed its forces had now moved forward by as much as a mile in some areas. Separately on Thursday, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his mercenaries were still advancing in Bakhmut but slammed Russian military soldiers were giving up areas to the north and south of the city, creating a risk of encirclement. “Unfortunately, units of the Russian Defense Ministry have withdrawn up to 570 meters [1,880 feet] to the north of Bakhmut, exposing our flanks,” Prigozhin said in a voice message on Thursday. “I am appealing to the top leadership of the Ministry of Defense—publicly—because my letters are not being read,” Prigozhin said, addressing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. “Please do not give up the flanks.”