Ukraine troops prepare for threat of Russia capturing Bakhmut

A Ukrainian serviceman walks on an empty street, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the front line city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Yevhen Titov

Ukrainian troops conducting weekend exercises near the small town of Siversk, in the country's east, said they were preparing to defend one of the possible targets of a new Russian offensive.

Siversk, which had a pre-war population of 10,000, is 35 kilometres (21 miles) north of Bakhmut - scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks - and on a direct road to another of the key towns in the Donetsk region, Sloviansk.