The Current Status of the Ukraine War  

The war in the Ukraine is currently taking a good turn for the country as the Russian forces have just retreated from the city of Bakhmut which has been a heavily contested point. It is deemed to be the longest and bloodiest battle of the war; the city was finally captured by the Ukrainian army on Saturday 20th May 2023. The reason why Russia lost the city is because of a lack of ammunition. The Ukrainians have declared that the city is not free of the Russians yet. The Ukrainians say that the Russians still own the south west of the city and are still present in other parts of the city. Analysts suggests that the city does not have significant strategic value to Moscow. The US believes that the Russians have lost approximately 20,000 soldiers and 80,000 are thought wounded. 

The soldiers who invaded and controlled the city were the Russian Wagner group which are Russian mercenary designed for special operations. According to the UK ministry of defence, the Wagner group commands 50,000 fighters which have been a big part of the invasion and the defence of the city. The group has increased in numbers massively because Russia has been struggling to find people for the regular army. Before the war the Wagner group was only about 5,000 fighters. Most of them were elite regiments and special forces; their headquarters being in Saint Petersburg the head of the organisation is Yevgeny Prigozhin.   

The situation is still evolving and the world’s eyes are still looking at this conflict.   

By Harry H and Adam K