British Intelligence Reports On Russian Army’s Flight From Near Bakhmut

The occupiers withdrew in bad order from their positions on the southern flank.

Russia’s 72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, which Ukrainian forces pushed back from positions in Bakhmut, is part of the 3rd Russian Army Corps, created only in the autumn of 2022. The deployment of a non-professional unit in such a complex and important sector highlights the acute shortage of professional personnel among the occupiers.

This is stated in the report of the British intelligence, published on May 13 on Twitter by the British Ministry of Defense. It is noted that the Ukrainian Defense Forces were able to regain at least a kilometer of territory in the Bakhmut direction.

“Over the last four days, elements of Russia's 72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (72 SMRB) likely withdrew in bad order from their positions on the southern flank of the Bakhmut operation,” stated in the report of the British Intelligence.

“The area has some tactical significance because it was a Russian bridgehead on the western side of the Donets-Donbas Canal, which marks the front line

through parts of the sector,” the report clarifies.

The intelligence noted that 72 SMRB is an element of Russia's 3rd Army Corps, a formation created in Autumn 2023 and dogged with allegations of poor morale and limited combat effectiveness. Its deployment to such a demanding and operationally important sector highlights Russia's severe shortage of credible combat units.

Important to note: the day before, Prigozhin accused Russian regular troops of fleeing from their positions. He stated that the “Wagnerites” conquered and held the indicated territories for a long time, and when they handed them over to the troops of the Russian Ministry of Defense, they fled.

At the same time, the commander of the 1st assault battalion with the call sign “Rollo” in an interview with CNN told CNN that Prigozhin lied because the “Wagnerites” were the first to escape from there. The military of the regular army of Russia during the offensive of the Defense Forces tried to fight back.