Russian forces in eastern Ukraine are encircling Bakhmut and destroying the fortifications built by the last remaining Ukrainian soldiers, as the war’s frontline blurs around the critical mining city.
“The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions for fortification and defence. Our soldiers defending the area around Bakhmut are true heroes,” said Volodymyr Zelensky.
Bakhmut has been the scene of the fiercest fighting as Russia’s forces, primarily led by the mercenary group Wagner, ravages the city in a bid to capture it as a stepping stone to more territory in Donetsk.
If captured, Bakhmut will be Russia’s biggest land grab in more than half a year.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhadnov said only the southern patch of Bakhmut remains under Ukraine’s control with the situation fast becoming “unpredictable”.
“It is impossible to say where the frontline lies,” he said.
Visuals of Bakhmut show a city charred to its skeletal core and constant shelling and bombing sounds in several residential neighbourhoods which now stand abandoned.
