As the Russian forces tighten their grip around the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops surrounded by Wagner forces have begun destroying bridges. Reports from the battlefield confirmed that Ukrainian forces blew up a railway bridge over the Bakhmutka River, located near the highway connecting Bakhmut to the city of Chasiv Yar. This route, situated seven miles west of Bakhmut, is considered the last major supply line for Ukrainian troops in and around Bakhmut.
Videos widely circulated on social media showed Ukrainian forces placing explosives on the metal railway bridge in the city, with images depicting similar destruction of several other bridges. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, stated in a video posted by his media office on Telegram, while dressed in military attire, that "his forces have practically besieged Bakhmut, and only one route remains" to exit the city, urging the Ukrainian president—who pledged to defend Bakhmut "for as long as possible"—to withdraw.
The Ukrainian military leadership acknowledged just days ago that the situation in Bakhmut is "extremely tense," but they remained silent yesterday without issuing any updates on the situation in Bakhmut on Friday, only mentioning that the army repelled 85 Russian attacks along the front in the past twenty-four hours. It is worth noting that the fierce and bloody battle for the strategically significant industrial city of Bakhmut has been ongoing since last summer, leading to significant destruction and heavy losses on both sides. The city has thus become a symbol of the conflict, with fighting concentrated there between Russians and Ukrainians for months, as Russian forces advance from the northern and southern flanks of Bakhmut, cutting off three of four main Ukrainian supply routes, which has increasingly weakened Kyiv's position.
