The Ukrainian president had already admitted that the situation in Donbass, where the city of Bakhmut is located, was “difficult and painful”. This Wednesday, he says that despite the heavy fighting, the city in the Donetsk region is still “standing”.
It is still controlled by Ukrainian forces, but the battle of Russian forces for control of the city of Bakhmut has intensified in recent days. “There is no place that is not covered in blood. There is not an hour when the terrible roar of the artillery is not heard. Yet Bakhmut remains standing,” Zelensky wrote in a post released on social networks this Wednesday.
“Last year, 70,000 people lived there [na cidade de Bakhmut]. Now there are only a few civilians left,” he added.
Despite the difficult situation, Zelensky guarantees: “Our armed forces are standing. The Ukrainian Donbass is standing”.
The words of the Ukrainian president are accompanied by a series of photos that illustrate the trail of destruction left by the war in this city.
Russian troops and the paramilitaries of the Wagner group have been trying to capture Bakhmut for months, at the cost of heavy casualties on both sides and considerable destruction.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, described the battle for the city as “Bakhmut meat grinder”.
The Ukrainian army said on Wednesday that Moscow troops would continue “offensive actions” against Bakhmut.
Earlier this week, Zelensky spoke in the usual video message about the difficult situation in Donbass, with Russian troops “using all available resources”. “And they are significant resources for moving forward,” he stressed.
This month, the Ukrainian president made a surprise trip to Bakhmut, referring to the war-torn city as Ukraine’s frontline.
During this visit to Bakhmut, Zelesnsky received a Ukrainian flag covered with the signatures of the army of soldiers for delivery to the US Congress.
“We have a difficult situation, the enemy is increasing its forces. Our men are braver and we need a reinforcement of armaments. We will convey the words of gratitude of the troops to Congress and the President of the United States for their support But it is not enough,” the Ukrainian president said after a visit to Bakhmut and before his trip to the US, his first since the war began on February 24.
After addressing the US Congress, Zelensky presented the “Heroes of Bakhmut” flag to Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Source: DN
