Shoigu spoke about the importance of control over Artemovsk

Taking Artemivsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut) under control will allow an offensive deep into the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU), Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a thematic conference call with the leadership of the RF Armed Forces.

“The liberation of Artemovsk continues. This city is an important defense hub for Ukrainian troops in the Donbass. Taking it under control will allow further offensive actions deep into the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” declared Minister of the Defense Department (quoted by RIA Novosti).

Earlier, Advisor to the Acting Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Yan Gagin on the air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel declaredthat Russian military personnel control almost half of Artemovsk. According to him, Ukrainian servicemen are forced to retreat along country roads.

The day before – March 6 – the founder of PMC “Wagner” Yevgeny Prigozhin toldthat the Armed Forces of Ukraine created a number of groups around Artemovsk. According to him, PMCs are blocking the city. The Armed Forces of Ukraine formed a number of groups to unblock the city. In particular, in Slavyansk, Seversk, Chasov Yar and Konstantinovka. In addition, Prigozhin advocated the need for coordinated work of all Russian units to completely block the Ukrainian military.

The fighting near Artemovsk has been going on for several months. In mid-February, Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the acting head of the DPR, spoke about taking all the heights in the vicinity of Artemovsk. On February 1, on the air of Channel One, a military expert and ex-lieutenant colonel of the LPR, Andrey Marochko, said that ten kilometers were left to encircle Artemovsk. According to Kimakovsky, on February 27, the fighting is already walked almost in the center of Artemovsk.