Russian attackers and Ukrainian defenders fought bitter house-to-house fighting in Bakhmut. A number of attacks by Russian soldiers in the industrial zone of the eastern Ukrainian city were repelled with the support of artillery and grenade launchers, the military leadership in Kiev said on Wednesday. Despite a superior number of personnel, the Russian units had not managed to break through, it was said.
During his visit to Warsaw, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said shortly before that Bakhmut would continue to be defended, even if the situation there remained “very, very difficult”. “But we are in Bakhmut and the enemy does not control Bakhmut,” Zelenskyy said.
Russian troops have been trying to capture Bakhmut in the Donetsk region since late summer. Most of the city and parts of the center are already under Russian control. However, in the western part of the city, which used to have 70,000 inhabitants, the Ukrainian units are still putting up stubborn resistance. Russia invaded Ukraine more than 13 months ago.