The Russian army continues to launch relentless attacks on the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and shell the city of Kherson in the south of the country, according to officials in Kiev.
The Kremlin considers Bakhmut a major pivot in its slow progress in eastern Ukraine, more than a year after Russia launched its military offensive against its neighbor.
This is what Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar wrote on the Telegram app:
• “Heavy fighting took place Thursday in all areas on the eastern front.”
• “The Ukrainian forces responded to the attacks in most of these areas.”
• “Most of the enemy’s offensive efforts are taking place in the Bakhmut sector, and the Russian commanders have redirected soldiers there from other areas.”
• “The enemy uses its most professional units there and resorts to using a large amount of artillery and aviation.”
• “Every day, the enemy in Bakhmut carries out between 40 and 50 incursions and 500 bombings.”
The head of the Russian private military “Wagner” group had said earlier that his forces controlled 80 percent of Bakhmut, but the Ukrainian army stated that the percentage was exaggerated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior officials have been pressing allies to provide his country with more weapons, which Kiev hopes will enable it to launch a major counteroffensive later in the year.
“We are preparing our soldiers. We are looking forward to the arrival of the weapons pledged by our partners. We are bringing victory as close to us as possible,” Zelensky said in a video speech late Thursday.