 Battles for Bakhmut enter a decisive stage. Colonel Yevhen Mezevikin, commander of the Adam Tactical Group, believed that the battle for Bakhmut might be a turning point in the war and that Ukraine is capable of holding the city and pushing Russian troops out. Colonel Mezevikin said that he was confident that Ukrainian forces could keep holding the city and push Russian troops back farther. If the Ukrainians hold their recent gains, the battles of the last month at Bakhmut could prove a turning point in Ukraine's defense against Russia, not only stalling the latest Russian offensive but also in setting themselves up to deliver a knockout blow, he said. Mezevikin told the New York Times that the Russian assaults have slowed and the imminent threat of encirclement has been thwarted. He added that the enemy exhausted all its reserves. But Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Company, said that the Ukrainian military is suffering serious casualties in Bakhmut but Russian troops still have to take enormous efforts in that area. No, the Ukrainian army is not fleeing anywhere. The Ukrainian army is engaged in bloody battles and is defending Bakhmut at the expense of serious casualties, Prigozhin told. Another important aspect that should be mentioned is the need to hold the flank, he stressed. Today we need to concentrate efforts in the city because this is an enormous amount of combat work to do. The flanks should not let us down and Allied units should hold them, Prigozhin said. Russian forces are moving forward and taking every building, every building entrance and every garage between buildings, he said. In Bakhmut, there are about 800 high-rise buildings. If we tell about each building entrance, you will be tired of hearing it. When we take Bakhmut, then we will talk about that, the Wagner Founder said.