Wagner Claims To Occupy Ukrainian Village Near Bakhmut Amid Reports Of Massive Russian Casualties

The founder of Russian’s private mercenary group Wagner said his forces have captured a village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region just outside Bakhmut, a key objective for the Russian military, as Kyiv says Moscow’s latest offensive is struggling.

"Today the settlement of Krasna Hora was taken by the assault troops of the Wagner private military company," Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message posted on Telegram on February 12.

A separate post showed what appeared to be Wagner fighters at the entrance to Krasna Hora. RFE/RL was unable to verify Prigozhin’s claim.

Russian forces, boosted by Wagner, have been trying for months to capture Bakhmut, which sits along several important highways and whose capture could put other key Ukrainian cities in danger. Bakhmut has also become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance and whose loss could hurt morale.

As Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine approaches its one-year anniversary on February 24, President Vladimir Putin is hoping to highlight battlefield success, experts have said. Putin is scheduled to make his state-of-the-nation address on February 21.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, told Ukrainian television on February 12 that Russia’s long-anticipated 2023 offensive is already under way but is being met by fierce resistance.

“They have begun their offensive, they're just not saying they have, and our troops are repelling it very powerfully,” Danilov said. "But [it is] not the offensive they were counting on.”

Prigozhin said on February 10 that Russian forces must capture Bakhmut for the invasion to succeed, but admitted Ukraine is putting up tough resistance.

SEE ALSO: Two Former Wagner Fighters Recall Slaughter, Fear Amid Fierce Ukrainian Resistance

Russian forces had suffered more than 820 casualties per day over the past two weeks as they ruthlessly push to capture well-fortified towns like Bakhmut and Vuhledar, Ukraine's military claims.

British intelligence said that would represent the highest Russian casualty rate since the first week of the war.

British intelligence attributed the high number of Russian casualties to the lack of trained personnel, coordination, and resources, and cited the Russian effort to take Bakhmut as an example. RFE/RL is unable to confirm battlefield casualties.

Russian forces have also suffered massive losses in recent days around Vuhledar, a town that is close to the dividing line between the eastern and the southern theaters of the war. Ukrainian military drone footage posted last week appeared to show Russian lost nearly 30 armored vehicles, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, in fighting around Vuhledar.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military reported on February 12 that it had repulsed 11 attacks by Russian forces in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions over the previous 24 hours.

In the Luhansk region, fighting continues to be intense near the village of Bilohorivka, the last area of the region still held by Ukrainian forces.

Luhansk region Governor Serhiy Hayday said in a Telegram post on February 12 that the region had been the target of powerful attacks in recent days, with Russian forces focusing on Bilohorivka and Kreminna, near the western border with the Donetsk region.

The Russian forces suffered significant losses, according to Hayday, and were forced to retreat.

“They pulled back because they had to replenish their units,” Hayday said.

Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said later that day that Ukrainian electricity production has been restored following the latest Russian rocket attacks targeting power infrastructure. Some areas still remained without power, he said.

Russia’s military said on February 11 that it had carried out a “massive strike” with missiles and drones on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leading to power cuts in many cities and towns.

With reporting by Reuters