Russia “destroyed” Bakhmut. Donbass front lines “hard”: Zelensky

The offensive into Ukraine’s Donbass region remains “extremely difficult,” as Russian forces have effectively “destroyed” Bakhmut, according to the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader said during his nightly telecast Tabuk On Friday he “discussed the situation on the front line and the prospects for winter on the battlefield” during a conversation with the British prime minister. Rishi Sunak earlier in the day. He said that the regions of Donbass, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk regions, have become lifeless wastelands after the ongoing brutal battles between Russia and Ukraine.

“The situation on the front line is still very difficult in the main regions of Donbass – Bakhmut, Soledar, Marinka, Krymina …,” Zelensky said. “For a long time, there was no place to live on the land of these areas that was not damaged by shells and fire. The occupiers have already destroyed the city of Bakhmut, another city in the Donbass, which the Russian army has turned into burnt rubble,” he added.

“I thank all our heroes, all the soldiers and commanders who are holding the front in these directions, repelling attacks and inflicting heavy losses on the enemy in response to the hell that has entered Ukraine under the Russian flag,” he added.

Russian attempts to gain ground in Donetsk and Luhansk have swelled in recent months, with the two regions being among four that the Russian president has made. Russian President Vladimir Putin It was claimed to have been annexed in late September.

Zelensky’s comments came a day after the notorious Russian mercenary organisation Wagner Group successfully repulsed Ukrainian counterattacks near Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The ISW report published Thursday stated that “Russian forces continued ground attacks around Bakhmut on December 7”. “Russian sources have widely claimed that fighters of the Wagner Group have taken control of Yakovlevka and heavy fighting is going on near Bakhmut at Opetny, Klishchevka and Solidar.”

It added, “The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Ukrainian forces tried unsuccessfully to recover some lost positions south of Bakhmut.” Russian sources largely discussed the intensity of operations in this area and confirmed the high Ukrainian losses.

ISW analysts also point out that Putin is the same Preparing the Russian audience Acceptance that the war in Ukraine will become increasingly “grinding and protracted.”

Former soldier and eyewitness Petro Stone said that Bakhmut’s “meat grinder” had become “the main theater of fighting in Donbass and this war in general” during the modern war. an interview with Kyiv PostHe added, “The Russians cover Bakhmut with fire 24/7.”

While Newsweek He was unable to independently verify the number of casualties in Bakhmut, and the death toll is believed to be heavy on both sides of the battle lines. ISW estimated Sunday that the average number of Russian casualties 100 per dayincluding 50 deaths and 50 injuries.

Newsweek Contact the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.