Report today on the northern flank of Bakhmut:

[Tomconroy]

Link to tweet

It's unlikely that this is the counter-offensive. More likely Ukraine AF taking advantages of local opportunities.
More rumors are flying, but Russia itself confirmed it has retreated behind the Berkhivka reservoir.pictured on the map.

[Lovie777]

1. Russia still dug in at Zaporizhzhia and other areas.......................

but Bakhmut after months upon months of heavy fighting with losses on both sides, Ukraine finally has a opening.

[Bev54]

3. I do think this is the appetizer to the offensive. The Ukrainians said before it would not all

happen at once but will go in stages and it seems they are at the stage just before the all out offensive. With the new UK long range missiles they are within range of the bridge over Kersh. This should scare the hell out of Russia.

[TheRealNorth]

6. I saw a report that some German Leopard tanks were seen near Bahkmut

Could be misinformation to mislead the Russians, but that could se said about pretty much any report.

[Bev54]

7. Yes we have seen Leopard tanks and some Dutch tanks, seem to be new but they try not to

give us their positions until a few days later.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Russian troops fall back to 'defensive positions' near Bakhmut

Russia’s defence ministry has said some of its troops have fallen back “to more advantageous defensive positions” near a reservoir north-west of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

The statement on Friday was the first admission by Moscow that Ukraine was successfully recapturing ground around Bakhmut, a largely destroyed city with a pre-war population of about 70,000 that Russia has been trying to conquer for more than 10 months.

The Russian defence statement came hours after Kyiv said that its forces had advanced by about 2km (1.2 miles) around Bakhmut this week.

Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, said on Friday: “The enemy suffered great losses of manpower. Our defenders advanced 2km in the Bakhmut sector. We did not lose a single position in Bakhmut this week.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/12/russian-troops-defensive-positions-near-bakhmut-moscow-statement-ukraine

[Bev54]

4. Firstly I don't believe a word out of the Russian defense ministry and since that few kilometres

the Ukrainians have advanced much further on the southern flank with little to no resistance because the Russian soldiers have disappeared and left Wagner forces in the city of Bakhmut in big trouble.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

5. Stalemate. That's all it's been for months and will be for months more.

[Tomconroy]

8. Time to bonk some Tankies.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

9. Stalemate, then there will be renegotiations and then there will be another uneasy peace.

Putin gets little, Ukraine gets little and still the dead are dead.

Hasten it all!

[Tomconroy]

10. Clearly it's time for US airpower to start playing a part..

Start preparing boots on the ground.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

11. World War 3, no. Crystal clearly, unless it's ok when the nukes fall on America?

[Tomconroy]

13. Lol. The allies keep fighting Russian colonialism by giving Ukraine more weapons

And the tankies keep predicting putler gonna go nuclear. And it never happens. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
Putler's too much of a physical coward to risk his worthless hide.

[WarGamer]

18. Suit up, Lance Corporal MousePad.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

19. Duck and cover works on nukes, so we were told...whats the modern duck and cover?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

15. And if China gets involved on Russia's side,

no doubt you will be the first one defending China.

AmIRight?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. That's Putin's propaganda line: threatening us with nukes. Please dont YOU threaten us with nukes

Don't you threaten us with nukes unless we force Ukraine to knuckle under the ruzzian boot.

You wouldn't tell Americans to surrender, so don't threaten us with nuclear war and Putin's propaganda to get Ukraine to do what you wouldn't do in the same situation.

Please don't get weak in the knees about freedom from tyrants.

[WarGamer]

17. Worst idea ever.

Right up there with putting a paperclip into an electrical socket.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. Nope. That's what Putin wants, to reinforce his "existential war" subtheme

He is able to run a very hot war while hoodwinking the ruzzian federation's population into thinking it is all under control, but at the same time he is laying groundwork to push-pull his population into an all-out existential war if he gets excuses by Western behaviour.

Don't give him the excuse of US boots on the ground.

Haven't you had enough quagmires in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan?

[Sky Jewels]

12. Yes, hasten it. Russia should fucking withdraw

from all of Ukraine right now.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. Exactly right. . . . nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

21. "Hasten it"? You are advocating capitulation to despotic tyranny. NO. . . . .nt

[MarineCombatEngineer]

16. Right on cue.

You don't disappoint.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. Nope. You mistake preparations for weakness. You forget Ukr quickly took back a lot when they rolled

Ukraine took back a lot of territory in the northeast when they rolled out last year.

Ukraine has been blocking at Bahkmut; that's not a stalemate, it was a strategic holding pattern while Ukraine got much stronger. Russia has in the interim gotten weaker.

[lpbk2713]

14. Outstanding