Head of Wagner mercenary group says full-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway | DW News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv needs more time and more weapons for its long-anticipated counteroffensive against Russia. He believes Ukraine could make progress if they launched it now, but the human cost would be too great.

Fighting has been deadlocked in the eastern town of Bakhmut. Over the past months it has seen the bloodiest battle of the war. Verifying information coming out of the largly destroyed city is difficult, and there are - once again - conflicting reports over the situation in and around Bakhmut. Kyiv claims it's pushed Russian forces back over recent days, an account backed by the Wagner mercenary group. Moscow does admit the situation on the ground is difficult, but assures attempts to capture the former mining town remain in place.

The Ukrainian military has released more footage showing what it says are its troops in action near Bakmut. Soldiers dismount an armoured car and storm what appears to be a Russian defensive positions. Ukraine claims it has advanced up to two kilometers in the area. The head of Russia's mercenary Wagner group- which has played a prominent role in the battle for Bakhmut, says a full-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway.

We speak about the latest developments to Mark Cancian, he's a retired colonel with the U-S Marine Corps, who served several tours in Vietnam and Iraq. He's now a Senior Advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.

#wagnergroup #counteroffensive #ukraine

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