Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say

Military personnel take part in a funeral ceremony to bury the remains of sixty service members of the Russian armed forces and three civilians, who were killed in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, at a cemetery in Luhansk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine (Reuters) - The Ukrainian military and Russia's Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats on the outskirts 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.