Moscow's advance "has largely stalled as a result of extreme attrition of the Russian force," the UK defence ministry said in a daily intelligence bulletin on Saturday.
"Ukraine has also suffered heavy casualties during its defence," it added.
According to the defence ministry in London, "the Russian situation has also likely been made worse by tensions between the Russian Ministry of Defence and Wagner Group, both of whom contribute troops in the sector."
It is probable that Russia has reoriented its operational priorities "towards Avdiivka, south of Bakhmut, and to the Kremina-Svatove sector in the north, areas where Russia likely only aspires to stabilise its front line," the British defence ministry also said in its daily briefing on Saturday.
It added that "this suggests an overall return to a more defensive operational design after inconclusive results from its attempts to conduct a general offensive since January 2023."
On Friday, the Reuters news agency reported that slowdown by Russia in Bakhmut, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, could mean it is diverting its troops and resources to other areas.
If a shift in the course of events in Bakhmut is confirmed, it would be significant, as the town has been the symbolic center of Russia's attack on Ukraine, and the high number of casualties suffered by both sides has turned the conflict into the deadliest infantry battle in Europe since World War II, according to Reuters.
(ał)
Source: IAR, Reuters