Ukrainian Defense forces liberate more than 2 km of Bakhmut territory 

Mykola ‘Abdullah’ Volokhov, commander of the Terra reconnaissance unit of the Azov tactical group, told Espreso TV that Ukrainian troops had liberated more than two kilometers of Bakhmut, Donetsk region

"Now we can say that the Defense Forces have liberated more than 2 km of Bakhmut's territory. This result was achieved by the 3rd Detached Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which includes the Terra unit. The 1st Assault Battalion and the 2nd Assault Battalion are on the offensive, supported by the 1st and 2nd Mechanized Battalions. We have neutralized a large number of Russian soldiers, we have captured prisoners," said Volokhov aka Abdullah.

Andriy Biletsky, Ukrainian serviceman and first commander of Azov, noted that the so-called 3rd Assault Detachment of the Wagner private military company suffered heavy losses.

"As a result of the offensive actions of the 3rd Detached Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, units of the 72nd brigade of the Russian Federation (we are talking about the 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces - ed.) were defeated, the 6th and 8th companies of this brigade were actually completely destroyed. Brigade reconnaissance was destroyed, a significant number of armored combat vehicles was destroyed, and a significant number of prisoners were captured," said the first Azov commander. 

The Ukrainian serviceman noted that the so-called 3rd assault unit of the private military company Wagner suffered heavy losses. The offensive was conducted in a strip 3 km wide and 2 km 600 meters deep: "This entire area has been completely liberated from the Russian occupation forces."

Biletsky thanked the soldiers of the 3rd Detached Assault Brigade.

"It is a great honor for me to fight alongside you, to serve with you, to command you. You are real fighters, real heroes who have shown what the Ukrainian fighting spirit is," the military emphasized.

The press service of the 3rd Brigade clarified that the battle took place near Bakhmut, Donetsk region. 500 Russians were neutralized.

"During the two days of attacks on the southwestern outskirts of the city, the 3rd Brigade's assault units as part of the Azov tactical group neutralized 64 soldiers, and another 87 were wounded. Among them are the Wagner fighters," the report said, adding that at least five soldiers were captured.

Several Russian ammunition depots, mortars and armoured vehicles were destroyed.

• The founder of the Wagner PMC wrote a letter to the leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry, in which he announced his intention to withdraw his mercenaries from Bakhmut on May 10. 

• Earlier, Prigozhin had repeatedly spoken about the lack of ammunition, but Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu assured that the army had enough.

• The Armed Forces explained what caused Prigozhin's statements about the occupiers' "shell hunger" - his words meant that they were unable to take control of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast.

• On May 9, the head of the illegal Wagner PMC in another video reported problems with ammunition for his mercenaries and complained about the active actions of the Defense Forces in Donetsk region.

• The spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Military Grouping, Serhiy Cherevatyi, told Espreso that he believed that Prigozhin was looking for excuses for not fulfilling his obligations.