Volodymyr Zelensky says the battle for Donbass is “painful and difficult”.

Russian troops continue to advance on the northern outskirts of Pakmud, a landmark town guarded by the Ukrainian military.

“Ukrainian defenses of Bagmouth city under increasing pressure, heavy fighting in and around city”, the British Ministry of Defense tweeted on Saturday. He reported a “Progress” of “Wagner Group and the Russian regular army in the northern suburbs of the city are now under attack from three sides”.

As a result, Kiev “Reinforce the area with elite units and in the last thirty-six hours two major bridges in Bagmouth have been destroyed, including the main bridge connecting the city to the last major supply route”The British Ministry continued.

Villages north and west of Bakhmoud were hit on Saturday, Serhii Serevaty, a spokesman for the Eastern Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told CNN on Saturday, adding that a total of 131 attacks had taken place on that front.

The battle for Bagmouth, an industrial city whose strategic importance is disputed, has been ongoing since the summer of 2022. The city has become a landmark for months at the center of fighting between Russians and Ukrainians.

According to analysts fromInstitute for War Studies (ISW), Russian forces are unlikely to encircle Bagmouth anytime soon. ISW estimated, in its bulletin published on Saturday evening “Ukrainian forces are more likely to withdraw than to be encircled”They still can “Can keep their posts in Buckmouth”.