Ukrainian forces clung to their positions in Bakhmut on Sunday, fiercely resisting a Russian push to encircle the city in the eastern Donetsk region and prolonging a fight that has become a symbol of Ukraine’s battlefield defiance.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials in recent days have described their grip on Bakhmut, a small industrial city, as increasingly tenuous, suggesting they may need to withdraw to prevent their troops from being trapped by Russian fighters advancing on three sides.
Nonetheless, the fight for the city has taken on enormous symbolic value in Kyiv and Moscow, with the Wagner chief, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, seeking to claim a victory for the Kremlin after Russia’s regular military suffered a string of defeats, first in its attempt to capture Kyiv, and then in Ukrainian counteroffensives in the northeast Kharkiv and southern Kherson regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, has elevated the importance of Bakhmut, calling it “the fortress of our morale,” and celebrating the troops defending it. Among Ukrainians, “Bakhmut stands” has become a rallying cry.For Russian President Vladimir Putin, capturing Bakhmut would deliver a needed victory and illustrate progress toward imposing Kremlin control of four eastern regions that the Russian leader has illegally declared as annexed.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has recently described the effort to seize the four regions — Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — as a matter of upholding the Russian constitution, which was amended to declare the Ukrainian territory as belonging to Russia.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia’s Wagner Troops Exhaust Ukrainian Forces in BakhmutWith a disregard for losses, the paramilitary group’s penal battalions have advanced at the time when the regular Russian military remains largely stalled.
Read more »
Ukrainian forces open to attacks on 'three sides' as Bakhmut end nears—U.K.'The Ukrainians are setting the conditions to potentially withdraw,' military expert Philip Ingram told Newsweek.
Read more »
Ukraine live briefing: Ukrainian troops hold on, with Bakhmut not encircled yetThe battle for the Donetsk city is coming down to street-by-street fighting and skirmishes on its outskirts, where Ukrainian forces are fortifying their positions.
Read more »
Russia inching closer to capturing Bakhmut in Ukraine'Units of the private military company Wagner have practically surrounded Bakhmut,' Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said. Conversely, Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communication said that 'this is part of a disinformation campaign.'
Read more »
Ukraine pours cold water on reports of Bakhmut's imminent fall to Russia'There is also no mass withdrawal of Ukrainian troops,' Ukraine's Armed Forces spokesperson said.
Read more »