The battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine was marked by fierce fighting Monday, according to both sides, while the months-long struggle for control of the area continued.
The Ukrainian army said it was using artillery, tanks, and other weapons to repel Russian attempts to capture the city. The British Ministry of Defense has established in recent days that the Russian paramilitary group Wagner controls most of the eastern part of Bakhmut, while Ukrainian forces control the western part.
Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin described the situation as “very difficult” on Sunday, with fighting intensifying as his forces neared the city center.
Russia has targeted Bakhmut as a key element of its broader goal of conquering the Donbas region. In, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to defend Bakhmut, while some allies, including US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, warned that a Ukrainian defeat would not mark a turning point in the conflict.
Source: some information for this story came from VOA
