 Ukrainian armed forces advance in Bakhmut and Russian troops retreat. Ukrainian forces have regained at least a kilometer of the territory of the city of Bakhmut south with Russian troops retreating. British defence intelligence said over the last four days elements of Russia's 72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade likely withdrew in bad order from their positions on the southern flank of the Bakhmut operation the UK Ministry of Defence noted. The territory reportedly has a particular tactical significance as it was a Russian bridgehead on the western side of the Donetsk-Donbas Canal which marks the contact line in some parts of this front. The 72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade is part of Russia's Third Army Corps, a formation created in the autumn of 2023 that has been plagued by accusations of low morale and poor combat effectiveness. Its deployment to such a demanding and operationally important sector highlights Russia's severe shortage of credible combat units. The UK defence intelligence noted Colonel Serhii Cherevaty, spokesperson for the eastern grouping of forces of the armed forces of Ukraine, confirmed there were signs of Russian forces exhaustion on the Bakhmut front. The enemy has been defeated and driven back to a distance of 250 metres to 1.5 kilometres on various fronts following successful combat operations and our defenders have been defeating the enemy and driving them back in some areas he added.