MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Alexander Syrsky, has admitted that the Ukrainian command has suspended its advance near Artyomovsk to focus on restoring the combat effectiveness of its units.
"For the past few days, the advance on the flanks [of Artyomovsk] was suspended because other important tasks were being carried out there," he told the Ukrainskaya Pravda media outlet in a commentary.
According to Syrsky, the command of the Ukrainian group was taking measures "aimed at restoring the combat effectiveness of its units and disrupting the enemy's intentions."
On May 24, the acting head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that the situation on the flanks near Artyomovsk, where the most active operations were taking place a few days before the city was liberated, was stabilizing and uncertainty was past its peak. At the same time, Yan Gagin, an adviser to the acting leader of the DPR, stated that the Ukrainian army would most probably make another attempt to retake Artyomovsk, as Ukrainian troops and equipment were being massed up near the city.
Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine), located in the north of the DPR, was an important transport hub for bringing supplies to the Ukrainian group of troops in Donbass and one of the largest strongholds of Kiev’s forces. The fighting for control of the city began on August 1, 2022 and ended on May 20, 2023. It was one of the largest battles since the special operation began.