MOSCOW: Moscow said on Thursday that Russian forces were “blocking” Ukrainian forces from getting in or out of the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut.
However, the head of mercenary group Wagner, which has spearheaded much of the fighting for the city, said it was “too early” to say Bakhmut was surrounded.
Kyiv has not yet commented on the claims regarding the longest and bloodiest battle since the start of Moscow’s Ukraine offensive.
“Airborne troops are providing support to advancing assault troops, blocking the transfer of Ukrainian army reserves to the city and the possibility of retreat for enemy units,” the Russian defense ministry said in a statement.
The statement said “Wagner assault units were continuing high-intensity combat operations to oust the enemy from the central quarters” of the city in eastern Ukraine.
The Wagner mercenary group says it has spearheaded the Russian attack on Bakhmut.
In a statement, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said however it was “too early” to say Russia has Bakhmut surrounded.
Recent days appear to have pointed toward gains in Bakhmut for Moscow, with several Russian correspondents publishing images from inside the city.
The Russian-installed head of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, also made a trip to Bakhmut this week.
Bakhmut had a population of 70,000 people before Moscow launched its offensive.
Both Russia and Ukraine are believed to have suffered huge losses in the battle, despite analysts saying the city has little strategic value.
Russia says Ukraine forces cut off inside Bakhmut
https://arab.news/2yakg
Russia says Ukraine forces cut off inside Bakhmut
- The head of mercenary group Wagner said it was "too early" to say Bakhmut was surrounded
- Recent days appear to have pointed towards gains in Bakhmut for Moscow
Three Afghan migrants die of cold while trying to cross into Iran
- More than 1.8 million Afghans were forced to return to Afghanistan by the Iranian authorities between January and the end of November 2025
AFGHANISTAN: Three Afghans died from exposure in freezing temperatures in the western province of Herat while trying to illegally enter Iran, a local army official said on Saturday.
“Three people who wanted to illegally cross the Iran-Afghanistan border have died because of the cold weather,” the Afghan army official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He added that a shepherd was also found dead in the mountainous area of Kohsan from the cold.
The migrants were part of a group that attempted to cross into Iran on Wednesday and was stopped by Afghan border forces.
“Searches took place on Wednesday night, but the bodies were only found on Thursday,” the army official said.
More than 1.8 million Afghans were forced to return to Afghanistan by the Iranian authorities between January and the end of November 2025, according to the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), which said that the majority were “forced and coerced returns.”
“These mass returns in adverse circumstances have strained Afghanistan’s already overstretched resources and services” which leads to “risks of onward and new displacement, including return movements back into Pakistan and Iran and onward,” UNHCR posted on its site dedicated to Afghanistan’s situation.
This week, Amnesty International called on countries to stop forcibly returning people to Afghanistan, citing a “real risk of serious harm for returnees.”
Hit by two major earthquakes in recent months and highly vulnerable to climate change, Afghanistan faces multiple challenges.
It is subject to international sanctions particularly due to the exclusion of women from many jobs and public places, described by the UN as “gender apartheid.”
More than 17 million people in the country are facing acute food insecurity, the UN World Food Programme said Tuesday.
