LONDON: Ukrainian troops have been forced to withdraw from some territory in the battlefield city of Bakhmut as Russia mounts a renewed assault there with intense artillery fire over the past two days, Britain said in an intelligence update on Friday.
“Russia has re-energized its assault on the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut as forces of the Russian MoD and Wagner Group have improved co-operation,” it said, referring to Russia’s defense ministry and its main mercenary force.
“Ukrainian forces face significant resupply issues but have made orderly withdrawals from the positions they have been forced to concede,” Britain’s military said in a daily intelligence update.
Wagner has taken the lead on the Russian side in the months-long battle, deadliest of the war for troops on both sides, but the mercenary group’s leader had complained of poor support for his forces from the regular military.
“The Ukrainian defense still holds the western districts of the town but has been subjected to particularly intense Russian artillery fire over the previous 48 hours,” the British update said.
It said Wagner units were now focusing on advancing in the center of Bakhmut, while Russian paratroopers were relieving them in attacks on the city’s flanks.
Bakhmut, which held around 70,000 people before the war, has been Russia’s main target in a massive winter offensive that has so far yielded scant gains despite infantry ground combat of an intensity unseen in Europe since World War Two.
Capturing the city would be Russia’s first substantial victory in eight months. Moscow says it would open a route to capturing more territory in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, a major war aim.
Ukraine, which is preparing for its own counteroffensive, had appeared likely to abandon Bakhmut at the end of February, but announced in March it would fight on there, saying Russia was taking higher casualties trying to storm it.
![]()
Ukraine forces pull back as Russia mounts ‘re-energized’ Bakhmut assault, UK says
Short Url
https://arab.news/yy4kd
Ukraine forces pull back as Russia mounts ‘re-energized’ Bakhmut assault, UK says
- ‘Ukrainian forces face significant resupply issues but have made orderly withdrawals from the positions they have been forced to concede’
Ghana’s president urged to rally African leaders behind push for slavery reparations
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama held talks with a global delegation seeking reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism, who urged him to rally other African leaders to choose “courage over comfort” and support the growing movement.
The delegation, made up of experts from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and the United States, presented Mahama with priority actions under the African Union’s (AU) reparations agenda, it said in a statement on Friday. In February, the AU launched a drive to create a “unified vision” on what reparations may look like, from financial compensation and formal acknowledgments of past wrongs to policy reforms. At least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by European ships, then sold into slavery from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Advocates say action is needed to confront today’s legacies, including racism. Calls for reparations have gained momentum but there is also a growing backlash. Many European leaders have opposed even discussing the matter, with opponents arguing today’s states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical wrongs.
While Ghana has been at the forefront of reparations advocacy in Africa, the delegation emphasized the need for “strategic coherence and unity” among political leaders across the continent.
They urged Mahama to encourage other leaders to “choose courage over comfort” by standing with civil society and affected communities in Africa and the diaspora in demanding reparations.
The delegation also met on Wednesday with Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Mahama’s envoy on reparations Ekwow Spio-Garbrah.
At a European Union–AU summit in Luanda, Angola’s capital, last month, leaders from both regions acknowledged the “untold suffering” caused by slavery and colonialism but stopped short of committing to reparations.
During the summit, Ghana’s Vice President Jane Opoku-Agyemang urged EU member states to support a UN resolution Ghana is preparing to recognize slavery as one of the “gravest crimes against humanity.”
The delegation, made up of experts from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and the United States, presented Mahama with priority actions under the African Union’s (AU) reparations agenda, it said in a statement on Friday. In February, the AU launched a drive to create a “unified vision” on what reparations may look like, from financial compensation and formal acknowledgments of past wrongs to policy reforms. At least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by European ships, then sold into slavery from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Advocates say action is needed to confront today’s legacies, including racism. Calls for reparations have gained momentum but there is also a growing backlash. Many European leaders have opposed even discussing the matter, with opponents arguing today’s states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical wrongs.
While Ghana has been at the forefront of reparations advocacy in Africa, the delegation emphasized the need for “strategic coherence and unity” among political leaders across the continent.
They urged Mahama to encourage other leaders to “choose courage over comfort” by standing with civil society and affected communities in Africa and the diaspora in demanding reparations.
The delegation also met on Wednesday with Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Mahama’s envoy on reparations Ekwow Spio-Garbrah.
At a European Union–AU summit in Luanda, Angola’s capital, last month, leaders from both regions acknowledged the “untold suffering” caused by slavery and colonialism but stopped short of committing to reparations.
During the summit, Ghana’s Vice President Jane Opoku-Agyemang urged EU member states to support a UN resolution Ghana is preparing to recognize slavery as one of the “gravest crimes against humanity.”
Latest updates
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.