PUTIN'S WAR: Battle for Bakhmut rages on - Ukrainians target flanks | WELT News

The Ukrainian army has reiterated its ongoing battle for the city of Bakhmut, denying Russian claims that the city has completely fallen. Despite attempts by Russian forces to "gain control of the entire city," Ukrainian units continued to defend "several buildings and a number of fortifications in the southwestern part of Bakhmut," said Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Ukrainian army's Eastern Command, on Ukrainian television on Sunday evening. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Bakhmut and the small town of Marynka near Donetsk remain the "epicenter of the fighting." Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar even spoke of a partial encirclement of Russian forces by Ukraine. The "Battle for Bakhmut" continues, according to the General Staff statement. Heavy fighting was reportedly taking place, particularly in Marynka and nearby Avdiivka, and Russia carried out four missile attacks and 45 airstrikes on Sunday. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar stated that Ukrainian forces had "partially encircled" Bakhmut after previously breaking through the Russian-held flanks. The situation in Bakhmut was "very difficult" for Russia, adding that Ukrainian forces continued to hold "certain industrial facilities and infrastructure" in the city. On Saturday, the Russian army initially reported the complete capture of Bakhmut, and Russian President Vladimir Putin later congratulated the army and the Wagner mercenary group on Saturday's capture of the city. On Sunday, Zelensky's comments at the G7 summit in Hiroshima were initially interpreted as a possible admission of Russia's capture, but his spokesman later denied this. Bakhmut once had a population of 70,000. The battle for the city is considered the longest and bloodiest since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. Both sides are believed to have suffered heavy losses. The fall of Bakhmut would bring Moscow an important victory after a series of defeats. #ukraine #war #weltnetzreporter Subscribe to the WELT Netzreporter Channel    / dienetzreporter   WELT News Channel    / weltvideotv   WELT DOKU Channel    / weltdoku   WELT Podcast Channel    / weltpodcast   The WELT News Livestream http://bit.ly/2fwuMPg The top news on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2rQQD9Q The media library on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2Iydxv8 WELT News Channel on Instagram https://bit.ly/IGWELTTV WELT on Instagram http://bit.ly/2X1M7Hk On a personal note: Due to the high volume of irrelevant and offensive posts, we are currently unable to accept any more comments. Thank you for your understanding - the WELT team This video was created in 2023