 The Ukrainian army is advancing in two directions. Further effective counter-attacks by the Ukrainian military on the flanks of the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk, Oblast, may complicate Russia's operation to hand over the positions of the Wagner Private Military Company to Russian regular army units, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, ISW, believe. The report stated that the Russian military bloggers said that Ukrainian forces had conducted successful counter-attacks in the area of the settlements of Orykovo-Vasylivka, 11 kilometers northwest of Bakhmut, and Klishivka, 7 kilometers southwest of Bakhmut. The ISW pointed out that one of the Russian military bloggers said that Ukrainian counter-attacks in the area of Orykovo-Vasylivka forced the veteran private military company units to retreat up to a kilometer from the positions they had previously held in the area. Military bloggers also say that Ukrainian forces have seized high ground along the E-40 road Bakhmut-Sloviansk near Orykovo-Vasylivka and that fighting in the area is ongoing. They also stressed that Ukrainian troops advanced towards Klishivka and crossed the Siversky-Donetsk canal, likely intending to encircle the settlement and force Russian troops to retreat eastward. At the same time, the report notes that geo-location footage posted on the 24th and 25th of May indicates that Russian forces may have regained limited positions west of Klishivka. The ISW's preliminary assessment is that it may be difficult for Russian forces to replace the Wagner Group forces in Bakhmut, partly due to effective, limited and localised Ukrainian counter-attacks. The decreased tempo of Russian offensive operations in the Bakhmut area and the reported ongoing relief in place operation are likely further providing Ukrainian forces in the area, the initiative to launch a new phase of operations around the city if they so choose. The ISW noted.