Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say

Ukrainian service members from a 28th separate mechanised brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fire a mortar at their positions at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova

The Ukrainian military and Russia's Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats around the city of Bakhmut on Thursday, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months ahead of a planned counteroffensive.

Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two.