ISW: ‘Ukrainian forces advanced 1.8 km likely on the southern flank of Bakhmut’

“A Ukrainian commander operating in the Bakhmut area reported on July 19 that Ukrainian forces advanced 1.8 km likely on the southern flank of Bakhmut, and Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces also advanced on Bakhmut’s northern flank on July 20,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said, Report informs.

“The Russian military command concentrated a high density of forces in the Bakhmut area to defend against Ukrainian attacks in the area, likely an intended effect of those attacks, though Syrskyi and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly restated their intent to retake Bakhmut,” ISW said.

Ukrainian military officials reported that Ukrainian forces continued advancing in the Berdyansk (Donetsk-Zaporizhia oblasts border area) and Melitopol (western Zaporizhia Oblast) directions and are continuing to advance by roughly 100 meters per day south and southeast of Orikhiv.