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☆ Ukraine says it routs Russia brigade, Kremlin admits campaign 'very difficult'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The unit's claim appeared to back up comments by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private army, who on Tuesday said the Russian brigade had abandoned its positions. "We managed to beat up the Ukrainian military machine quite a bit," said Peskov, citing Russian missile strikes in Ukraine. His comments did not address claims that Russia's 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut. Prigozhin's report about the flight of Russia's 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade from near Bakhmut and the '500 corpses' of Russians left behind is true." A Russian brigade is typically formed of several thousand troops.

☆ Ukraine general: Russia hopes to capture Bakhmut by Tuesday, steps up fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 8 (Reuters) - Russia has intensified shelling of Bakhmut hoping to take it by Tuesday, Ukraine's top general in charge of the defence of the besieged city said late on Sunday, vowing to do everything to prevent it. Victory Day in Russia is May 9, one of the country's most commemorated public holidays marking the anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. Moscow sees Bakhmut as a stepping stone to attacking other Ukrainian cities. Kyiv has said before that keeping the defence of Bakhmut, allows for the military to prepare its expected counteroffensive. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ As counteroffensive looms, Ukraine vows not to give up Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, May 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military vowed on Tuesday not to give up the eastern city of Bakhmut as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces. General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukrainian ground forces, underlined the importance Kyiv attaches to holding Bakhmut as preparations continue for a counterattack which it hopes will change the dynamic of the war in Ukraine. The battle for Bakhmut has symbolic importance for both sides, with Ukraine still holding on to some parts of the city after months of fierce fighting against regular Russian troops and fighters from the Wagner mercenary force. Syrskyi said on Monday Ukrainian units had ousted Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut. Kyiv is widely expected soon to launch its counteroffensive, hoping to retake territory occupied by Russian forces after the invasion in February 2022.

☆ Ukrainian defenders oust Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut - Ukraine general
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, May 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian counterattacks have ousted Russian forces from some positions in the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut, but the situation remains "difficult", a top Ukrainian general said in comments released Monday. "The situation is quite difficult," said Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of ground forces, in a statement on Telegram. "At the same time, in certain parts of the city, the enemy was counterattacked by our units and left some positions." He added that new Russian units, including paratroopers and fighters from the Wagner mercenary group, were being "constantly thrown into battle" despite taking heavy losses. Russian forces have steadily made incremental gains in Bakhmut, but a Ukrainian military spokesman said on Sunday it was still possible to supply the defenders with food, ammunition and medicine.

☆ Ukrainian defenders oust Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut -Ukraine general
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, May 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian units have ousted Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut amid fierce battles, a top Ukrainian general said on Monday, as the White House believes that more than 20,000 Russian fighters have been killed in Ukraine since December. "The situation (in Bakhmut) is quite difficult," Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Ukrainian commander of ground forces, said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Syrskyi said that new Russian units are being "constantly thrown into battle for Bakhmut" despite taking heavy losses, Syrskyi said, adding: "But the enemy is unable to take control of the city." Russian forces have steadily made incremental gains in Bakhmut, but Ukraine said on Sunday that it was still possible to supply the defenders with food, ammunition and medicine. Kyiv is widely expected soon to launch a counter-offensive to retake swathes of territory in the east and south that were occupied by Russian forces following the invasion 15 months ago.

☆ Russia increases shelling, air strikes in Bakhmut - Ukrainian general
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Adam Tactic Group/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, April 18 (Reuters) - Russian forces are stepping up their use of heavy artillery and air strikes in the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Tuesday. Fighting in and around Bakhmut has for months been the epicentre of the war in Ukraine. "Currently, the enemy is increasing the activity of heavy artillery and the number of air strikes, turning the city into ruins," General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement. Russia says Ukrainian forces have also suffered heavy losses in Bakhmut. The Ukrainian military is widely expected to mount a counteroffensive in coming weeks or months aimed at recapturing Russian-held territory.

Kyiv and the West accuse Russian forces of committing war crimes in occupied Ukrainian territory, which Moscow denies. Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk are the four regions that Putin proclaimed annexed last September following what Ukraine said were sham referendums. Russian forces only partly control the four regions. HEAVY ARTILLERYFighting has raged in and around Bakhmut in Donetsk region for months, with Ukrainian forces holding out despite regular claims by Russia to have taken the city. "Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences," they said.

☆ Opinion: How the battle for Bakhmut exposed Russia’s ‘meat-grinder’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

It will also be recorded in history as a battle that exposed more than anywhere the meat-grinder approach of Russian fighting. Taking Bakhmut would be the first Russian gain since it captured (and later lost) the key southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in November. That Ukrainian forces have demonstrated such endurance in the battle for Bakhmut should come as little surprise. Like the current battle for Bakhmut, it too became emblematic of Ukraine’s tenaciousness to defend itself against Russia’s aggression – particularly considering the Ukrainian Armed Forces were far less prepared and equipped. “The battle for Bakhmut in winter-spring 2023 will surely enter the history books as the bloodiest battle in Europe since World War II,” said Masliychuk.

☆ Ukraine battles rage, Kyiv reported to rethink counter-offensive after leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The head of the Moscow-controlled part of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, said Russian forces now held 75% of the city. As the battles ground on, U.S. media outlet CNN reported that Ukraine was forced to amend some military plans ahead of its long-anticipated counter-offensive because of the leak of dozens of secret documents. HOT ON THE EASTERN FRONTA Ukrainian counter-offensive has long been expected after months of attritional warfare in the east. Elsewhere, Russia's defence ministry said its forces destroyed a depot with 70,000 tonnes of fuel near Zaporizhzhia, and Ukraine reported widespread Russian shelling in northern regions. In a rare coordination between the warring parties, Russia and Ukraine carried out another prisoner swap, with 106 Russian captives freed in exchange for 100 Ukrainians.

☆ Ukraine says Russia switching to 'scorched earth' tactics in Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Smoke is seen during a shelling, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, on the outskirts of the front line city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr KlymenkoKYIV, April 10 (Reuters) - The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces said on Monday that Russian troops had switched to "scorched earth" tactics in the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut and were destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery. Russia's assault on Bakhmut, a small city in the Donetsk region, has been the focus of the biggest battle of Moscow's full-scale invasion launched in February 2022. "The enemy switched to the so-called scorched earth tactics from Syria. Ukraine's defence of the city of Bakhmut continued, he said.

☆ Ukraine war: The latest news
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BATTLEFIELD* The Russian-installed head of Donetsk said Russian forces controlled more than 75% of the besieged city of Bakhmut. * Russia and Ukraine carried out a major prisoner swap, with 106 Russian captives being freed in exchange for 100 Ukrainians. LEAKED DOCUMENTS* Ukraine has been forced to amend some military plans ahead of a much-vaunted counter-offensive because of a leak of classified U.S. documents, CNN reported. [1/4] A Ukrainian serviceman clears a trench amid Russia's attack on Ukraine at the frontline near Donetsk, Ukraine, April 8, 2023. * Ukraine is seeking a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, believing it should be more involved in resolving the war.

☆ Ukraine aims to exhaust Russian troops in Bakhmut - general
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

93rd Mechanized Brigade "Kholodny Yar" via REUTERSKYIV, March 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine is aiming to exhaust and inflict heavy losses on Russian forces trying to capture the small eastern city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said in a video posted on Tuesday. Moscow sees capturing Bakhmut as vital to its efforts to establish complete control over the Donbas industrial region in eastern Ukraine. Syrskyi has been meeting troops near the frontline as Ukraine prepares for a possible counter-offensive after 13 months of war. His remarks again underlined Ukraine's desire to hold on to Bakhmut rather than pull back to limit casualties. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has also visited troops in the east, south and southeast Ukraine this month.

☆ Holding Bakhmut is a 'military necessity' - Ukrainian general
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Zohra BensemraKYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine's ground forces commander said on Monday his troops were continuing to repel heavy Russian attacks on the eastern city of Bakhmut and that defending it was a "military necessity". "The most intense phase of the battle for Bakhmut continues. The enemy suffers significant losses in human resources, weapons and military equipment but continues to conduct offensive actions," he said. Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhniy said on Saturday the situation was being "stabilised" around Bakhmut. Moscow sees capturing the city as vital to completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region in eastern Ukraine, one of its main war goals.

☆ Zelenskiy to IAEA: Russia holds nuclear plant hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The president met Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Monday at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station - northeast of the Zaporizhzhia plant. Russian officials say they want to connect the Zaporizhzhia plant to the Russian grid. Russia said last month the construction of protective structures for key facilities at the Zaporizhzhia plant were nearing completion. "Holding a nuclear power station hostage for more than a year - this is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or worldwide nuclear power," Zelenskiy said. Last week, the Ukrainian military warned that Avdiivka, a smaller town 90 km (55 miles) farther south, could become a "second Bakhmut" as Russia turns its attention there.

☆ Drone footage shows Bakhmut in ruins after months of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Robert Leslie | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Footage released on March 24 shows the almost total destruction of residential areas of Bakhmut. Both sides have suffered heavily in the battle for Bakhmut, which has been called a "meat grinder". Ukraine's military say defending the city is a "military necessity" for the country. Russia first started shelling the city in Ukraine's east in May last year, and fighting ramped up there in August. Ukrainian officials say that fighting there allows it to grind down Russia's overall military strength.

☆ Explainer: Bakhmut: Why Russia and Ukraine are battling so hard for one small city
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Yet Russia and Ukraine are still battling for the small city of Bakhmut. After nearly eight months of trench warfare Ukrainian forces are surrounded on three sides, Kyiv's supply lines are fraying, and Moscow is in control of just under half of Bakhmut. Volodymr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, has portrayed "Fortress Bakhmut" as a symbol of defiance which is bleeding the Russian military dry. It also claims to be decimating Ukrainian forces. A regional transport and logistics hub, Bakhmut would be useful for Russian forces although that depends on how much of its infrastructure is intact.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kyiv claims over 1,000 Russians died in Bakhmut in last week; Wagner mercenaries pivoting recruitment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian servicemen from 24th brigade along the front line south of Bakhmut near New York, Ukraine, on March 10, 2023. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ongoing fighting in the besieged city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is taking a big toll on Russia's forces. In addition, dozens of units of Russian equipment were destroyed, Zelenskyy said, and more than 10 Russian ammunition depots were burned. There have been questions over how long Ukraine could choose to defend Bakhmut, a city almost completely surrounded by Russian forces, with mercenary fighters from the Wagner Group advancing into parts of the city. Last week, Ukraine said it would continue to defend Bakhmut, however, and would send in reinforcements.

But an international war crimes prosecution could deepen Moscow's diplomatic isolation and make it difficult for those accused to travel abroad. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, saying its attacks are all intended to reduce Kyiv's ability to fight. Kyiv says thousands of deported Ukrainian children are being adopted into Russian families, housed in Russian camps and orphanages, given Russian passports and brought up to reject Ukrainian nationality. Asked if the ICC charges against the Russian officials could include genocide, the source said: "It looks that way." U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One that Ukraine had not confirmed a call between Xi and Zelenskiy.

☆ Ukraine, Russia say hundreds of enemy troops killed in battle for Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Nick Starkov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A Ukrainian serviceman looks on from a tank near the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 7, 2023. Serhiy Cherevatyi, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, said that 221 pro-Moscow troops were killed and more than 300 wounded in Bakhmut. Russia's defence ministry said that up to 210 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the broader Donetsk part of the frontline. While Moscow did not specify Bakhmut casualties, the eastern Donetsk town, now nearly deserted, has been the site of one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the year-long war. Writing by David Ljunggren and Lidia Kelly; editing by Grant McCool and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Mercenaries say they've seized eastern Bakhmut; Ukraine sees over 100 attacks on Donetsk in past day
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"There is no part of Ukraine about which one can say that it can be abandoned," Zelenskyy noted. I told the Commander-in-Chief to find the appropriate forces to help the guys in Bakhmut." On Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Bakhmut had more symbolic importance than strategic and operational value. Zelenskyy said Monday that defending Bakhmut meant destroying more of Russia's invading forces. Bakhmut has yielded and is yielding one of the greatest results during this war, during the entire battle for Donbas."

☆ Ukraine is vowing to defend 'fortress' Bakhmut as Russian forces surround it: Here are 3 reasons why
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Ukrainian infantrymen with the 28th Brigade view damaged buildings while driving to a frontline position facing Russian troops on March 05, 2023 outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine. Russian forces appear to be tightening the noose around the city in Donetsk. "The fall of Bakhmut won't necessarily mean that the Russians have changed the tide of this fight," he added, noting that he would not predict when Bakhmut might fall to Russian forces. Ukrainian military vehicles drive along a road outside of the strategic city of Bakhmut on January 18, 2023 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy warned that Russian troops will have "open road" to key cities in eastern Ukraine if they seize Bakhmut.

☆ Russia close to encircling Ukraine's Bakhmut after months of fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This video grab taken from a shooting by AFPTV shows an aerial view of destructions in the city of Bakhmut on February 27, 2023. - Ukraine said on February 28, 2023 its forces were under pressure in Bakhmut, a nearly-destroyed city in the eastern Donetsk region that Russia has been trying to seize for months. One fighter is heard saying Ukraine's army is destroying infrastructure in settlements near Bakhmut to prevent the Russian encirclement. The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, visited Bakhmut on Friday for briefings with local commanders on how to boost the defense capacity of frontline forces. Ukraine says the city has little strategic value and the huge casualties Russia has suffered trying to take Bakhmut could shape the course of the conflict.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Ukrainian forces are coming under 'insane pressure' from Russia, Kyiv says, but counteroffensives are being prepared
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Kyiv is preparing its soldiers for counteroffensives and praised soldiers for defending the country despite the "insane pressure" Russian forces have been putting on them. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Kyiv is preparing its soldiers for counteroffensives and praised soldiers for defending the country despite the "insane pressure" Russian forces have been putting on them. "We are preparing for the return of our warriors to actions for the liberation of our land," the president said in his nightly address Tuesday, alluding to an expected counteroffensive Ukraine is likely to launch in spring. Ahead of that offensive, Zelenskyy said Bakhmut, a city in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine that has been wrestled over by Russian and Ukrainian forces for over six months, remains the epicenter of fierce fighting and fatalities in the war. Zelenskyy said "Russia does not count people at all, sending them to constantly storm our positions.

☆ As Russian forces bear down on Bakhmut, Ukraine admits situation there is 'more and more difficult'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainians watching a movie on TV at a humanitarian aid center in Bakhmut on Feb. 27, 2023 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday night that the situation in the Bakhmut area "is getting more and more difficult." She said Russia was employing the tactics of "exhaustion and total destruction" but said that Russian forces were experiencing significant losses, losing between 600 to 1,000 people daily, she claimed. She added that Ukraine's forces were conducting defensive operations in the face of the "numerical superiority of the enemy." A view of damage after attacks as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Bakhmut, Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2023.

☆ Ukraine's ground forces commander visits besieged Bakhmut to talk strategy, boost morale
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Oleksandr Kozhukhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Ukrainian service members ride a tank, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the front line city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Alex BabenkoKYIV, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The commander of Ukrainian ground forces Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi visited besieged Bakhmut to boost morale and talk strategy with units defending the town and surrounding villages in eastern Ukraine, the military said over the weekend. Russia has made the capture Bakhmut a priority in its strategy to take control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas industrial region. Now charged with the defence of Bakhmut, Syrskyi has made a number of trips to the town, maintaining the Kyiv's forces will hold it. "Russia may start attacking from three sides from Monday," Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said in a social media video.

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