1/10 - Russia close to encircling Ukraine's Bakhmut after months of fighting
2/10 - Russia eyes first major victory
Russian artillery pounded the last routes out of Bakhmut recently, aiming to complete the encirclement of the besieged Ukrainian city and bring Moscow closer to its first major victory in half a year after the bloodiest battle of the war.
3/10 - A major objective of Moscow
A Russian victory in Bakhmut would give it the first major prize in a costly winter offensive, after it called up hundreds of thousands of reservists last year. Russia says it would be a stepping stone to completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region, one of Moscow\'s most important objectives.
4/10 - Ukraine's supply lines in danger
Capturing Bakhmut would not only give Russian fighters a rare battlefield gain after months of setbacks, but it might rupture Ukraine\'s supply lines and allow the Kremlin\'s forces to press toward other Ukrainian strongholds in the eastern Donetsk region.
5/10 - City almost surrounded: Wagner
The head of Russia\'s Wagner private army said the city, which has been blasted to ruins in Russia\'s more than seven month onslaught, was almost completely surrounded with only one road still open for Ukraine\'s troops.
6/10 - ‘The pincers are closing’
"Units of the private military company Wagner have practically surrounded Bakhmut," Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video filmed on a rooftop in a village some 7 km (4 miles) north of the city centre. "Only one route (out) is left," he said. "The pincers are closing."
7/10 - Russian defence minister inspects front
Russia\'s defence minister Sergei Shoigu "inspected a command post on the front" in the direction of the southern Donetsk region, the defence ministry said, without specifying exactly where or when. It also put out a rare video of Shoigu travelling in a helicopter and talking to a soldier in front of damaged buildings.
8/10 - Ukraine not ready to give up
Ukrainian soldiers were working to repair damaged roads and more troops were heading toward the frontline in a sign that Ukraine was not yet ready to give up the city. To the west, Ukrainians were digging new trenches for defensive positions.
9/10 - ‘Fighting for 110 days’
The commander of a Ukrainian drone unit active in Bakhmut, Robert Brovdi who goes by the name "Madyar", said in a video posted on social media that his unit had been ordered by the military to withdraw immediately. He said he had been fighting there for 110 days.
10/10 - Zelenskyy seeks support to defend city
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to defend "fortress Bakhmut" for as long as possible, and called on allies to whip up their support to help his men do so.
