Evidence is mounting that Moscow has failed to make much progress in the Donbas of eastern Ukraine, despite months of fighting in the industrial and agricultural region close to the Russian border.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s military bloggers and like-minded activists have in recent weeks lamented the lack of progress from the winter campaign. Russia has not secured victory in the city of Bakhmut, or in the towns or Avdiivka, Vuhledar, Lyman or Marinka.<\/p>\n
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, said on Sunday that his forces had raised a Russian flag over an administrative building in Bakhmut, according to the Reuters news agency, but acknowledged that Ukraine was still holding the western part of the city. Mr. Prigozhin has prematurely called such victories before.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe winter campaign in the Donbas is over,\u201d said Igor Girkin, a former Russian intelligence officer who led a military intervention in eastern Ukraine and now blogs about military affairs. \u201cWe can say that the winter campaign ended unsuccessfully.\u201d The comments by Mr. Girkin, who uses the nickname Strelkov, were echoed by others in Russia who have ties to the military and have at times been critical of the Kremlin\u2019s approach to the war.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s assault in eastern Ukraine appears stalled. via \u2066@nytimes<\/a>\u2069 https:\/\/t.co\/3frQ6Z4H1H<\/a><\/p>\n — Amb Antonio Garza (@aogarza) April 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n