'Worst predicted scenario': Some Russians soldiers flee Bakhmut as Ukraine makes gains. Live updates

Russia's Wagner mercenary group was under pressure Thursday in war-battered Bakhmut after some Russian regulars fled their positions and had "thrown away" valuable ground to Ukrainian forces, the private militia's leader said.

"The situation on the flanks is developing according to the worst predicted scenario," Yevgeny Prigozhin said. He dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's talk of delaying Ukraine's counteroffensive, saying it had already begun and was proving to be "unfortunately, partially successful."

Multiple Russian bloggers also said some regular Russian soldiers had "left their positions" in or near Bakhmut, an eastern city that has been the primary focus of fighting for several months. The Ukrainian military said 165 Russians were killed, 216 were wounded and one was taken prisoner. Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized the Russian military for failing to provide enough ammunition and for lacking resolve in battle.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's forces gained modest ground around Bakhmut in recent days. "Pervasive issues" with Russian combat capability, exacerbated by continued attrition in the Bakhmut area, appear to be limiting the ability of the invading forces to defend against localized Ukrainian counterattacks, the institute's assessment said. 

∙ The U.K. is sending long-range Storm Shadow missiles with a range of almost 200 miles to Ukraine, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed Thursday. The U.S. has balked at providing similar missiles amid concerns of expanding the war.

∙ The Pentagon confirmed that Ukrainian forces used the Patriot missile defense system to shoot down a Russian missile for the first time.

∙ Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said his country will contribute $1 billion to aid Ukraine's neighboring countries accepting Ukrainian refugees and to promote investment by Japanese companies. 

Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs promised Western help to begin offensive

Ukraine needs more time, armored vehicles and weaponry promised by its allies before beginning its much-anticipated counteroffensive aimed at liberating hundreds of square miles of Russian-occupied land, Zelenskyy said Thursday.