Ukrainian forces continue their successful offensive in the area of the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, while the Russian military suffers from low morale and hardly has the reserves to hold the settlement.
This is stated in Saturday's review of the intelligence community of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain.
It is noted that after a lull in June, during the last seven days, Bakhmut "again became the site of some of the most intense battles on the front", during which Ukrainian troops "confidently advance" both north and south of the city.
"The Russian defenders most likely suffer from low morale, a combination of disparate units and a limited ability to locate and engage Ukrainian artillery," British intelligence said.
The review notes that Moscow apparently considers it "politically unacceptable" to hand over Bakhmut to Ukrainian forces, a city that has symbolic weight as one of the few achievements of Russian forces in the last year of the war.
"However, it is very likely (in Russia. - ed.) that there are a few additional reserves that could be allocated for this sector," the British intelligence agency states.
The city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region became the site of one of the fiercest confrontations between the forces of Ukraine and Russia, until in May of this year, the Russian side announced the alleged capture of the settlement.
According to the estimates of Ukrainian and Western officials, the Russian Federation lost a significant amount of manpower during the offensive on Bakhmut - at least 60,000 killed and wounded.
Earlier, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations to the north and south of Bakhmut, and the commander of the Ground Forces of Ukraine, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported that Ukrainian troops had established control over previously lost positions in the Bakhmut area.
