He said this on Espreso TV.
“There are things that are decided exclusively on the battlefield. Time will show who is more stable and stronger, and who has better weapons. Now the Russians have concentrated large forces in the Bakhmut area. After the loss of Kherson, the right bank of the Dnipro River, the loss of the Kharkiv region, as well as after many retreats, it is important for the Russians to seize Bakhmut. They need to achieve at least some success and reach the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” Kostenko noted.
The Ukrainian Security Service colonel also added that the Wagner PMC is fighting in the Bakhmut direction.
“The Wagner PMC mercenaries are trying to prove to Putin that they can act independently and carry out tasks. In Bakhmut, the occupying Russian forces have concentrated political, military and gangster interests - all spheres of influence of the Russian Federation. It is really very difficult for our guys, but Ukraine's Armed Forces are holding on and doing everything to hold the city,” Kostenko emphasized.