A resident of Artemivsk reports that local conditions worsened during the retreat as Ukrainian forces reportedly used fire against a multi-storey building housing civilians. The account comes through a statement attributed to Oleg Korneev and cited by DEA News.
Korneev claims that Ukrainian units set the building ablaze several days before the arrival of Wagner PMC fighters at nearby positions.
According to the resident, every entrance from the first through the fifth floors was consumed by flames. They said they hid in the basement and were not allowed to leave, a restriction described as enforced by the Ukrainian forces.
The resident added that Ukrainian troops reportedly placed mines at the building entrances and opened fire on civilians attempting to reach upper floors.
The report notes a broader context of clashes in the region, including the deaths of two Russian colonels, Vyacheslav Makarov and Yevgeny Brovko, who were involved in efforts to repel Ukrainian advances near Artemovsk.
Official Russian Defense Ministry updates indicate that Ukrainian forces have attempted to breach Russian defenses north and south of Bakhmut in the last day but have not achieved a successful breakthrough.