Monitoring Desk
KYIV: The Ukraine Presidency said Monday that top military commanders are in favour of resorting to defensive positions in the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut and strengthening defensive lines there.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with top military commanders, who favoured continuing the defensive operation and further strengthening their positions in Bakhmut,” the presidency said in a statement.
Kyiv officials said Monday that Ukrainian military leaders are determined to hold onto Bakhmut, even as Russian forces continue encroaching on the devastated eastern city that the invaders have sought to capture for the last six months at the cost of thousands of lives.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office stated Zelensky chaired a meeting with military commanders during which the country’s top brass advocated strengthening Ukrainian positions.
Intense Russian shelling targeted Donetsk city and nearby villages and deployed more resources in an apparent bid to finish off Bakhmut city’s resistance, according to local officials.
Civilians fleeing Bakhmut city amid intense fighting
“Civilians are evacuating the region to escape Russian forces’ shelling continuing round the clock as more Russian troops and weapons are being deployed in the region,” Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Russian troops that invaded Ukraine over a year ago have been bearing down on Bakhmut city for months, putting Ukrainian troops on the defensive but unable to deliver a knockout blow.
More broadly, Russian troops continue to experience difficulty generating battlefield momentum. Russian full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, soon stalled and was pushed back by a Ukraine counteroffensive.
