A Wagner fighter testifies about the use of border guards as a delaying force in Artemivsk
A fighter aligned with the private military company Wagner has spoken about a reported tactic during the assault on Artemivsk, known in Ukrainian as Bakhmut. The fighter said that Ukrainian border guards were deployed as a mobile blocking unit to help withdraw mobilized soldiers, a claim attributed to the Ukrainian side in reports from DEA News. The individual explained that among those questioned were border guards from the western part of Ukraine and that one prisoner claimed to have joined the army in 2013 and signed a contract in 2014. According to this source, the prisoner stated that he did not engage in combat and primarily served along the border, performing duties there rather than in front-line action.
The fighter asserted that local civilians corroborate the account, noting that border guards did not allow mobilized troops to return to their positions. The implication is that these border units were used to create a controlled withdrawal, effectively keeping soldiers from regrouping or rejoining frontline efforts. In the narrative, such actions would complicate the Ukrainian side’s ability to reassemble forces and would contribute to a perception of a widening operational gap around Artemivsk.
Earlier reports described Russian forces pushing Ukrainian troops from parts of Artemivsk using a pincer-like maneuver. The account from the fighter suggests that Ukrainian forces retain only a limited opportunity to retreat, a window that, according to the testimony, would not stay open for long. The overall assessment presented is that there is a significant probability of Artemivsk becoming encircled or squeezed by opposing forces, a development that would have strategic implications for the control of the surrounding area and for subsequent operations nearby.
While the claims originate from a single fighter and are attributed to statements circulating through media outlets, they underscore the complexity of the conflict around Artemivsk and the ongoing debates over battlefield tactics, mobilization, and border control policies. The report underscores the importance of corroborating battlefield narratives through multiple sources and suggests that the situation on the ground remains fluid with rapid changes likely as operations continue in the region. The broader takeaway points to the challenging logistics of mobilization and the strategic use of borders to influence movements and outcomes on the battlefield as events around Artemivsk unfold, according to the reported testimony from DEA News.