Thinking the Russians are Running Out of Power to Seize Bakhmut, Ukrainian Military Prepares Counterattack

JAKARTA - The Ukrainian military is planning a long-awaited counteroffensive, after successfully holding out for four months against Russia's failed winter offensive to take Bakhmut, the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces said Thursday.

The remarks were the strongest indication from Kyiv that they were on the verge of changing tack, after taking on Russian attacks during a brutal winter.

Russia's Wagner mercenaries "lost considerable strength and are exhausted," the commander of the Kyiv army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a social media post.

"Soon, we will take advantage of this opportunity, as we did in the past near Kyiv, Kharkiv, Balakliya, and Kupiansk," he said, citing Ukraine's counteroffensive last year which recaptured some territory.

There was no immediate response from Moscow to the latest assessment that its forces in Bakhmut are losing momentum, but Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has issued pessimistic statements in recent days, warning of a counterattack from Ukraine.

Last Monday, Prigozhin sent a letter to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, saying Ukraine aimed to cut off Wagner's troops from Russia's regular army.

"It was very hot here a week ago, but in the last three days it has been quieter," said a Ukrainian soldier using the call sign "Kamin".

"We can see this from the enemy's airstrikes. If before there were 5-6 airstrikes a day, today we only had one helicopter strike and it was too far away to be effective," said a soldier from the anti-aircraft unit in the Mountain Assault Brigade the 10th.

The slowdown in Russia's attack on Bakhmut is seen as a consequence of Moscow diverting its troops and resources to other areas. Britain said on Thursday Russian troops had made further gains north this month, partially regaining control of the approaches to the city of Kreminna, a Ukrainian target. Fierce fighting also occurred in the south.

But the shift in momentum in Bakhmut, if confirmed, would be remarkable given the city's symbolic importance as a focus for the Russian offensive, and the scale of losses on both sides there in Europe's bloodiest infantry battle since the Second World War.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Europe to provide its troops with more weapons, more quickly and impose additional sanctions on Russia, warning that the war could drag on for years.

"If Europe waits, the evil parties may have time to regroup and prepare for years of war. It is in your power to prevent this," President Zelensky said.

In particular, he reiterated his demands for longer-range missiles, more ammunition, and more modern aircraft, and said that the European Union needed to speed up the process of granting membership to Ukraine.