The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today, Sunday, that two of its military leaders were killed in eastern Ukraine, as Ukrainian forces resumed their attempts to breach Russian defenses in the besieged city of Bakhmut.
The ministry stated in a daily briefing that the commander of the 4th Mechanized Rifle Brigade, Vyacheslav Makarov, and the deputy commander of a separate unit, Yevgeny Provko, were killed while trying to repel Ukrainian attacks. It added that Makarov had been leading troops from the front lines and that he "died a hero, affected by multiple shrapnel injuries." The Ministry of Defense rarely announces the deaths of military commanders in its daily briefings.
The ministry also stated that Ukraine had launched attacks in the north and south of the city over the past 24 hours, but had not succeeded in breaching Russian defenses. It said, "All attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces units were repelled."
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar confirmed today that Ukrainian forces "continue to advance in the Bakhmut sector," stating: "Our units seized more than ten enemy positions north and south of Bakhmut and cleared a large area of forest near Ivanivske. Enemy soldiers from various units were captured."
Neither side has been able to fully control Bakhmut, despite the ongoing brutal fighting for months that has inflicted heavy losses on both. Moscow acknowledged on Friday that its forces had retreated from the northern part of the city amid intensified Ukrainian attacks, but Kyiv downplayed suggestions that it had officially begun the major counteroffensive it had been planning for a long time.
