Russian troops are ‘FLEEING Bakhmut’ as video shows Ukrainian soldiers going ‘over the top’ in WW1-style counter attack

RUSSIAN troops are said to be fleeing Bakhmut after fierce Ukrainian forces managed to seize a town in the north of the besieged city. Incredible footage shows a wave of Ukrainian soldiers advancing on Russian positions in a World War One-style counter attack in the bomb-blitzed city. Twitter - @intermarium24Footage shows Ukrainian soldiers advancing on Russian positions in Bakhmut[/caption] TelegramDrone footage shared by Ukraine shows tanks destroying Russian positions in Bakhmut[/caption] East2WestYevgeny Prigozhin, chief of Wagner mercenary army, blasted Ukraine’s gains as a ‘disgrace’[/caption] The boss of the Wagner Group mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Ukrainian forces have managed to retake Berkhivka. He blasted the victory as a “disgrace” – and urged Putin’s top military chiefs to go to the frontlines and see the failures for themselves. Prigozhin’s soldiers captured Bakhmut last month after the longest and bloodiest battle of the war and handed over to the regular Russian army. But Kyiv’s troops have pushed back Russian lines in the north and south of the city – including in Berkhivka, which lies about 1.9 miles northwest of battered Bakhmut. “Now part of the settlement of Berkhivka has already been lost, the troops are quietly running away. Disgrace!” Prigozhin fumed. Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-backed governor of the Donetsk region, which includes Bakhmut, told Russian state TV the situation on the city’s flanks was “under control” but “very difficult”. Prigozhin urged Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, to make their way to the front to rally the troops. “Come on, you can do it!” he said in his message. “And if you can’t, you’ll die heroes.” Speaking on Monday, the chief of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his forces continue “moving forward” near Bakhmut. And Hanna Maliar, the deputy minister of Ukraine’s defence ministry, said the Ukrainian army is advancing along a wide front. She said: “The defensive operation includes everything, including counteroffensive actions. Therefore, in some areas we are moving to offensive actions. “The Bakhmut direction remains the epicentre of hostilities. There we are moving along a fairly wide front.  “We are successful. We occupy the dominant heights. The enemy is on the defensive, he wants to hold his position.” Drone footage shared by Syrskyi shows Ukrainian tanks destroying Russian positions in Bakhmut as Putin’s troops flee. Last month, Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade launched a surprise attack using tanks and armoured infantry to smash through Putin’s front lines. They advanced 1,000 yards across farmland south of Bakhmut in the first major gains for months. Footage showed assault squads clearing bunkers with hand grenades as a tank charged into a wood, sending Russian soldiers fleeing. According to war blogger War Gonzo, Ukraine has also advanced two kilometres in the town of Novodonetske near Vuhledar – around 100 miles southwest of Bakhmut. Wagner’s Prigozhin has previously blasted Russian troops for “p***ing away” his hard won gains. It comes as Russia claimed it pushed back a “large-scale offensive” by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk on Sunday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the reported attack marked the start of the major Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukraine recently said there would be no official announcement on the start of its counter-strike. Kyiv has been promising to unleash a spring offensive for months – hoping to take back territory lost since Putin invaded in February last year. Russia’s defence ministry claimed Ukraine launched an attack on Sunday with six mechanised and two tank battalions in southern Donetsk – one of four Ukrainian areas Russia annexed in September. And Putin’s forces claimed they killed 250 Ukrainian soldiers and wiped out 16 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armoured combat vehicles during the battle. Although Ukraine didn’t confirm the assault, it suggested the Russian reports were part of a misinformation campaign. Ukraine often waits until the completion of its military operations to confirm its actions. Zelensky made no mention of the alleged attack in his video address on Sunday night. APA Ukrainian soldier in a trench at the frontline near Bakhmut[/caption] ReutersBakhmut has been decimated by fierce fighting in the longest battle of the war[/caption]