Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday they will “continue to defend” the town of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which has been the scene of heavy fighting in recent weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky led a meeting with military leaders attended by commanders of operational and strategic groups to discuss the situation at the front, particularly in the Donetsk region.
“All members of the High Command of the Armed Forces have taken a common position with regard to continuing the maintenance and defense of the city of Bakhmut”the Ukrainian presidency said in a statement.
According to the briefing note, at this meeting the parties “analyzed the supply of weapons and ammunition to the defense units in the front line (…) and discussed the pace and extent of the supply of equipment and weapons from Ukraine’s allies” .
Ukraine’s ground force commander Oleksandr Sirski acknowledged on Monday that the defense of Bakhmut “remains difficult” as fears grew among Kiev’s allies that the city could soon fall to the Russians.
For Russia – which recently announced significant progress on the ground by announcing control of areas around the city – Bakhmut is of particular strategic value, as much of the supplies Ukraine sends to its forces on the Eastern Front come from there.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
