Ukraine ‘Repels Attacks On Bakhmut’ As Russia Claims Control Over ‘Everything East' Of City

Political leaders and the military in Ukraine now speak of hanging on to positions and inflicting as many casualties as possible on the Russians to grind down their fighting capability. 

Russia has claimed its control over eastern part of Bakhmut. (Representational Image)

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Ukraine’s military has said that it has managed to push back intense Russian attacks on the city of Bakhmut despite Russia claiming its control over the eastern half of the city and the NATO chief warning that the city could fall in the next few days, reported news agency Reuters. 

"The enemy continued its attacks and has shown no sign of a letup in storming the city of Bakhmut," the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Facebook. "Our defenders repelled attacks on Bakhmut and on surrounding communities."

Political leaders and the military in Ukraine now speak of hanging on to positions and inflicting as many casualties as possible on the Russians to grind down their fighting capability. 

“This is our first priority”, President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy said In a nightly video address of the battle for Bakhmut and the surrounding Donbas region. 

Meanwhile Russia has claimed control over the eastern part of Bakhmut. 

"Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is completely under the control of Wagner," said Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner. If the claim turns out to be true, Russian forces would control nearly half the city in a costly pursuit of their first big victory in several months, stated Reuters report. 

The river bisects Bakhmut, which sits on the edge of Ukraine's Donetsk province that is already largely under Russian occupation. The city centre is on the west side of the river.

A Ukrainian National Guard chief medic on Tuesday told the news agency near Bakhmut that all roads out of the city were under constant heavy shelling.

"Ambulances and other vehicles come under shelling and for that reason it is very difficult to evacuate people. There are high losses, and among medics in particular," he said.