Clashes near Bakhmut persist despite easing, Ukraine's military says

Clashes are continuing astir the devastated metropolis of Bakhmut successful eastbound Ukraine and Moscow is inactive suffering "significant losses" contempt a comparative easing of combat operations successful caller days, Kyiv's equipped forces said connected Sunday.

Russia claimed precocious past period to person captured Bakhmut pursuing what had go the war's longest and bloodiest battle, but Ukraine says its forces inactive clasp a tiny foothold and denies that Moscow is successful afloat power of the city.

Ukraine's apical subject bid said successful its regular study connected Sunday that Russian forces had carried retired 2 unsuccessful operations astir Bakhmut and launched a fig of aerial strikes and artillery shelling connected adjacent villages.

It said immoderate 23 combat clashes had taken spot implicit the past 24 hours successful the Donetsk region, wherever Bakhmut is located, and successful neighbouring Luhansk. Russia claims to person annexed some regions from Ukraine, on with 3 others, including Crimea.

"The force continues to endure important losses successful the Bakhmut direction," the commandant of Ukraine's crushed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said connected the Telegram messaging app connected Saturday aft visiting troops successful the area. "Defence forces proceed to fight. We volition win."

Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield accounts.

Bakhmut, erstwhile location to 70,000 people, has nary strategical value, according to subject analysts, but Moscow has said capturing it would assistance its forces to beforehand deeper into eastbound Ukraine.

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said Kyiv's forces inactive controlled the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut.

Responding to her comments, the caput of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, the main driving unit down Moscow's violative successful Bakhmut, said connected Sunday Ukrainian troops whitethorn person acceptable up reflection posts there.

"If this is the case, past hold for the adjacent steps," Yevgeny Prigozhin said successful an audio station connected Telegram.

Prigozhin said earlier this week that 99% of his fighters had near Bakhmut after handing it implicit to Russia's army.

British defence quality said connected Saturday that Russia continued to redeploy regular subject units to the Bakhmut sector, replacing Wagner fighters.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said successful an interrogation published connected Saturday that his forces were acceptable to motorboat the long-expected counteroffensive to reclaim territory present occupied by Russia.

Kyiv hopes the counteroffensive volition alteration the dynamics of the warfare that has raged since Russia invaded its smaller neighbour 15 months ago.