Russian forces have made “very slow progress” in Bahamut over the past six months, Western officials said Wednesday.

In recent weeks, Russian progress could “measured in meters”the officials said, also calling what Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed last weekend about Bahamut as saying “of despair».

“We currently believe that they do not yet have full control of Bakhmut, so the Ukrainians are still able to resist the Russian and Wagner forces” Western officials said.

At the same time, they pointed out that the Ukrainian forces “they’re managing their casualty rate much better than the Russians are right now.”

“We have seen that they are able to switch units in and out of Bahamut. People are resting and recuperating,” they said and noted that Ukraine is reviving and receiving additional forces as well as new equipment from NATO or the West.

There is currently a lull in the fighting, partly due to bad weather, but also due to the exhaustion of soldiers on both sides. A Ukrainian counterattack is also expected, the officials explained, however, noting that Bakhmut has been completely destroyed as a city.