Ukrainian troops vow to defend Bakhmut

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Donetsk region have expressed their need to defend Bakhmut with Russian forces encroaching on the devastated eastern city. "For us it's a matter of principle to defend it. It's not just a city, it's a symbol, a fortress of Bakhmut," a commander of a Ukrainian tank company said, speaking from a position near the nearby town of Chasiv Yar which has also come under heavy fire. His comments echoed those of Ukraine's president who on Monday vowed not to retreat from Bakhmut. Volodymyr Zelenskyy chaired a meeting on Monday in which top military brass “spoke in favour of continuing the defence operation and further strengthening our positions in Bakhmut." Later in his nightly video address, the president reported that his advisers unanimously agreed to press on with the fight, “not to retreat" and to bolster Ukrainian defences. Intense Russian shelling targeted the city in the Donetsk region and nearby villages as Moscow waged a three-sided assault to try to finish off Bakhmut’s resistance. The nearby towns of Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka came under heavy shelling, damaging cars and homes and sparking a fire. No casualties were immediately reported. Russian forces have been unable to deliver a knockout blow that would allow them to seize Bakhmut. Analysts say the city does not hold major strategic value and that its capture would be unlikely to serve as a turning point in the conflict.