Denis Pushilin, the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, claimed that Ukrainian forces attempted to push back into positions around Artemivsk, which is known in Ukrainian as Bakhmut, but Russian troops stopped the effort. Pushilin described the actions as typical after any battlefield gain, noting that the enemy often seeks to press on new flanks to reclaim lost ground, and that current attempts were halted by Russian forces. TASS provided the reporting.
Pushilin explained that after the liberation of settlements, both large and small, nearby opponents usually try to regain the positions they lost. He emphasized that, at this stage, those attempts were blocked by Russian troops on the ground.
Earlier, on June 1, Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said the command paused the advance toward Artemovsk’s flanks to restore the combat effectiveness of units. He stated that the Ukrainian leadership is taking measures to bolster troop readiness and to disrupt enemy plans during the pause. News outlets reported this stance at the time.
Yan Gagin, the deputy head of the DPR, commented that after the setback at Artemovsk, Ukrainian forces appeared unprepared for a full-scale counteroffensive. The DPR official suggested that the momentum had shifted and that Kyiv would need time to reorganize before pressing further. Source coverage noted by foreign and domestic outlets.