Russia claims capture of three districts in Ukraine’s Bakhmut

Moscow, The Gulf Observer: Russian assault troops have captured three more districts in the western part of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut according to Russia’s Defence Ministry.

Ukrainian and Russian units have been battling for months over the eastern city, much of which lies in ruins.

“The airborne troops were restraining the Ukrainian units on the flanks and supported the actions of the assault squads to capture the city,” the ministry said in its latest bulletin.

The Russian military sometimes refers to the Wagner group of fighters as “assault troops”.

Ukraine has not responded to the Russian claims.

More than 3,000 people will be evacuated from the Russian city of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, after an explosive was found, the local governor said two days after a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on the city.

Military explosive experts have decided to “neutralise” the explosive at a training ground, Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

“The operational headquarters decided to evacuate 17 apartment buildings within a radius of 200 metres. According to preliminary data, it is more than 3,000 people. Anyone who needs help with temporary accommodation, it will be provided,” he said.

Ukraine plans to deploy software from US data analytics provider Palantir Technologies Inc to help it prosecute alleged war crimes committed by Russia, the company told Reuters news agency.

Palantir, which has supplied Ukraine systems that could help it target tanks and support refugees, is now working with the country’s prosecutor general’s office to let investigators across Europe pool and process data, the company said.

Its software will combine intelligence and satellite imagery to build a map of evidence, for instance establishing the proximity of Russian equipment to crime scenes or aggregating photographs that Ukrainians have uploaded to social media, Palantir said.

The data that Palantir’s software will process relates to claims of alleged killing, rape, torture and destruction, part of more than 78,000 crimes reported in Ukraine since Russia invaded more than a year ago. Moscow has denied attacking civilians or perpetrating war crimes.