Over the past two days, the defense forces have advanced 2 kilometers in the Bakhmut direction

Over the past two days, the Defense Forces have advanced in some places in the Bakhmut direction at a distance of 350 meters to two kilometers.

Serhiy Cherevaty, the spokesman of the Eastern Group of Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, announced this on May 15 on the air of the telethon.

"During the previous two days, our troops advanced to different distances — from 350 meters to two kilometers. However, the enemy is fiercely resisting there and continues to attack," Cherevaty said.

During the current day, there were 34 combat clashes in the Bakhmut direction, 479 shellings by various systems and artillery, and there were four air raids. During the fighting, 159 occupiers were killed, 160 wounded and six captured.

The occupiers are trying to capture Bakhmut, and when there is an opportunity to attack on the flanks, the Ukrainian military does it.

The commander of the Khortytsia Ground Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi added: "The advance of our troops in the direction of Bakhmut is the first success of offensive operations during the operation to defend Bakhmut. The last few days have shown that we can move forward and destroy the enemy even in such extremely difficult conditions."

• On May 9, it became known that the Russians lost their positions around Bakhmut for the first time in a long time. On the southwestern outskirts of the city, a two-kilometer section was retaken from the Russians by units of the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Before that, the owner of PVK Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin spoke about the escape from the positions of the fighters of the Russian 72nd brigade. They allegedly exposed a strategic bridgehead. After that, Ukrainian troops began to recapture other small positions.