Washington warned Kiev that Ukrainian troops would not hold the city of Artemovsk (Ukrainian name Bakhmut), and urged the Ukrainian authorities to abandon the settlement. It has been reported Washington postIt refers to classified documents from the Pentagon and US intelligence that allegedly entered social networks.
The newspaper claims that the US told Kiev officials in January that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) would soon be surrounded by Russian troops. The publication notes that the “stable” advance of the Russian army since November 2022 “compromised” the ability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to hold the city.
According to the publication, the US assumed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be encircled if they did not withdraw their troops in February. The Washington Post states that the Ukrainian authorities ignored these warnings.
In addition, the documents state that the US recommended that Ukraine send “enhanced dual-purpose conventional munitions” – a combination of artillery and surface-to-air missiles – against the Russian Armed Forces.
Earlier, Yan Gagin, adviser to the interim president of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said that there were small groups of Ukrainian soldiers. undertake He tries to escape from Artemovsk or surrender.