On the morning of July 25, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Ukrainian troops managed to dislodge the Russian Armed Forces from positions near Andreevka (about 9 km south of the center of Bakhmut). The Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine added that this is how the troops are trying to surround Bakhmut.
Also early in the morning, the telegram channel Rybar, close to the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, reported that Ukrainian forces had established themselves on the heights of Kleshcheevka south of Bakhmut and were fighting fiercely. Later, the neo-Nazi sabotage group Rusich, which was fighting on the side of the Russian Federation, announced that the Russian forces, consisting of mobilized people, had retreated from Kleshcheevka. They explained the retreat by low motivation and fatigue of the fighters.
The project of the pro-war blogger Semyon Pegov WarGonzo claims that Russian units continue to fight in the Kleshcheevka area under the cover of artillery.
The Wagner PMC channel Gray Zone says the opposite – the author of the channel, citing military intelligence and artillerymen of the RF Armed Forces, writes that near Bakhmut Russia has problems with counter-battery combat and communication, and also lacks personnel and almost no aviation. Because of this, Russia suffers “significant” losses.
According to Gray Zone, Russian troops retreated south of Bakhmut, leaving strongholds and dominant heights. In Kleshcheevka, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have occupied 90% of the forest belt from the west and are trying to cut off the road to Bakhmut. “The situation in Kleshcheevka may take irreversible consequences by tomorrow morning,” writes Gray Zone.
The pro-war blogger Multi_XAM states that the Armed Forces of Ukraine “pushed through” the Russian defense in the south of Bakhmut. “In fact, Kleshcheevka is now a gray area,” he writes. At the same time, the dominant heights are under the control of the assault units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Both Gray Zone and Multi_XAM agree that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have switched to the tactics that were previously used in the Kherson region. First, the positions of the RF Armed Forces are shelled by artillery, then the mobilized go on the assault, which exhaust the Russians and force them to spend their ammunition, and then the most trained assault detachments enter the battle.
- As early as July 5, the Russian “military commander” Alexander Sladkov announced the surrender of Kleshcheevka. Then it turned out that the Armed Forces of Ukraine only partially advanced on the western outskirts of the settlement.
- The capture of Kleshcheevka, the nearest point to Bakhmut from the south, and the dominating heights can actually predetermine the further course of the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to encircle Bakhmut.
Source : istories.media
