Ukraine Says It Repelled Assault by 'Cannon Fodder' Wagner Group Soldiers

Ukraine's armed forces have released a video that they say shows their troops resisting attacks from the Moscow-backed Wagner Group of mercenaries in Bakhmut.

The State Border Service of Ukraine released a clip it says is of soldiers targeting the mercenaries with grenade launchers amid fierce fighting the Donetsk town. The footage was undated and hasn't been independently verified.

It said in a statement that Ukrainian soldiers had "managed to repulse the assault and force the enemy to retreat with losses" and "send the Wagnerites to hell with fire," according to a translation.

The clip was also carried by Ukrainska Pravda, which said that the video demonstrated the ongoing street fighting in the city. "The video released today shows how generously border guards fire rocket-propelled grenades at Russian mercenaries," the Ukrainian news outlet reported. Wagner Group mercenaries are spearheading Moscow's fight for the town.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ground Forces of Ukraine, wrote on his Telegram social media channel on Thursday that his troops are preparing to "take advantage" of the high losses that Russian forces have faced in fighting for the town.

"The aggressor does not give up hope of taking Bakhmut at any cost, despite the losses in manpower and equipment," he wrote.

His comments follow an assessment by British defense officials the previous day that said there was a "realistic possibility" Russian troops were losing momentum in the city, in part because some Russian units have been reallocated to other sectors.

Fighting continues around the center of the city and Ukrainian forces are vulnerable to the north and south, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War said the pace of Russian operations around Bakhmut "appears to be slowing" amid reports that Russian forces may try to launch offensives "in other directions."

The U.S. think tank said on Wednesday it believes Russian advances "may prompt Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Bakhmut and/or Avdiivka although neither appears likely at this time." Newsweek has emailed the Russian defense ministry for comment.

The Wagner Group is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has criticized the Russian defense ministry for not providing enough ammunition for his troops, thousands of whom have been recruited from prisons.

Prigozhin rejected a Bloomberg report claiming that he was considering turning his back on the war in Ukraine to focus on his group's operations in Africa. "As long as our country needs us, we are fighting on the territory of Ukraine," he said in a statement on Thursday.