Ukraine vows to hold on to Bakhmut despite Russian onslaught

On Wednesday, Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, were defending their positions amid a sustained assault by Russian forces attempting to capture the city. The ongoing battle has left the city devastated after seven months of fighting.

Both sides have claimed victories in what has become the longest-running battle since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over a year ago.

Ukrainian officials reported that their Ground Forces had downed a Russian fighter jet near Bakhmut and had made gains in the city’s northern areas.

evgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization that has been leading the Russian assault on Bakhmut, announced on social media on Wednesday that Russian forces had seized control of Zaliznyanskoye and were extending the encirclement of Bakhmut.

However, the claims made by Prigozhin could not be independently verified.

The battle for Bakhmut intensified after Russian forces captured the nearby town of Soledar in January. Russian forces must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of the Donetsk province they don’t yet control, though Western officials say that the capture of the city would have limited impact on the course of the war.

An assessment by the U.K. Defense Ministry over the weekend said that paramilitary units from the Wagner Group had seized eastern parts of Bakhmut, with a river flowing through the city marking the front line of the fighting.

The Russian troops have surrounded Bakhmut from three sides, leaving a narrow corridor to the west as the only way out. The highway leading west has been heavily targeted by Russian artillery, making it difficult for Ukrainian defenders to use it. As a result, they are increasingly relying on country roads, which are difficult to navigate until the muddy ground dries up.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the situation in Bakhmut with top military and intelligence officials on Tuesday and all agreed on the need to hold and defend the city, the presidential office said.