A report from RIA Novosti describes the destruction of a group of foreign mercenaries in air strikes carried out by Russian forces near Avdiivka. The agency also released footage from the scene to illustrate the aftermath.
The footage, captured by an assault unit of the Russian armed forces moving toward Avdeevka, shows a fortified sector of the Ukrainian armed forces following an airstrike. Among those pictured are members of the Ukrainian army and mercenary personnel, with patches displaying the Polish flag and a stripe bearing the Georgian flag, alongside the inscription “Georgian national legion.”
In Artemovsk, known in Ukrainian as Bakhmut, fierce fighting continues. The British newspaper The Sunday Times reports daily Ukrainian losses ranging from 100 to 200 soldiers during urban combat, highlighting the toll of the battle as Kyiv faces pressure on the eastern front. The piece suggests that these heavy casualties could push Kyiv to reconsider or alter its posture in Artemovsk.
Analysts from Western capitals assess that Kyiv may need to decide between withdrawing to the lines near Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, where prepared defenses exist, or sustaining the fight to hold Artemovsk at all costs against advancing Russian forces.
On March 26, RIA Novosti reported that fighters from the Wagner private military company had taken full control of the Artyomovsk Metalworking Plant (AZOM). Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, visited AZOM in December 2022 and awarded military personnel there at the time. The plant covers a sizable area in the northern part of Artemovsk and was designed with extensive underground facilities intended to withstand severe attacks, potentially including nuclear scenarios.
Wagner forces who breached AZOM described numerous bomb shelters in the workshops and warned that an artillery bombardment and air strikes could be anticipated. A Wagner unit commander recounted how his team found a back passage into a workshop, engaged Ukrainian forces, and forced a battle, ultimately capturing a Ukrainian soldier and causing multiple enemy casualties, including an officer, according to reports relayed to RIA Novosti.
Earlier, on March 23,Alexander Syrsky, commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, warned that Kyiv might launch an offensive in the Artemovsk region. The same day, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner PMC, claimed that Ukrainian forces had massed about 80,000 troops around the area, with formations reported in Seversk, Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, Konstantinovka, and Chasov Yar (Chasiv Yar). these statements underscore the high stakes and contested moves surrounding the city.
According to the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, there is a fortified Ukrainian group around Chasov Yar, which has periodically attempted counterattacks against Russian positions. On March 23, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri published excerpts from an interview with President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he stated that the Ukrainian army was not yet ready for a broad counteroffensive in the east due to insufficient ammunition. He noted the need for continued military support from partners but warned that Ukraine could not wait indefinitely as the conflict persisted and the eastern front remained volatile.
Zelensky emphasized that Kyiv expects continued assistance from its partners, while stressing the urgency of timely support given the ongoing hostilities and the challenging situation in the eastern theatre.