 Vargana group fighters were the first to flee in Bakhmut. A Ukrainian commander of the first assault battalion of the Third Assault Brigade has said that during a successful Ukrainian assault operation in Bakhmut, Vargana group mercenaries were the first to flee, while servicemen from the Russian army attempted to fight back. This contradicts the claims made by Vargana financier Yevgeny Prigozhin. Russian forces were able to retake several positions in the eastern city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. Commander of the First Assault Battalion with a call sign ROLLO told CNN that Vargana group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin lied about servicemen from the Russian army being the first to flee their positions in Bakhmut. According to ROLLO, Vargana group fighters fled first. Prigozhin is a liar because the first to flee were Vargana group fighters. Actually, the Russian Armed Forces unit, his bad mouthing, fought to the end, ROLLO said. He explained that Ukraine had planned the operation he was talking about in advance and that the weather allowed the Ukrainian troops to deploy all weapons and equipment they needed. The commander said that the Russians' reserves were positioned too far to be deployed in time, which allowed the Ukrainians to push invaders' forces back, with Russians losing 200 to 300 soldiers in action. The Third Assault Brigade is currently undertaking combat operations on the Bakhmut front as part of Tactical Group A. Besides troops from the Third Assault Brigade, Tactical Group A comprises other special units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Andrei Biletsky is the group's commander. Tactical Group A personnel have been fighting Russian forces on the Bakhmut front for several months.