Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/BAKHMUT: President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukrainian armed forces defending Bakhmut and Soledar in the east would be armed with everything they needed to keep the Russian army at bay in some of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Zelensky promises
According to the AFP, Kyiv said that its armed forces were fighting to retain control of the now-battered industrial towns in the east, earlier taken by the Russian forces.
After nearly one year of fighting, the Kremlin captured the Bakhmut and Soledar regions, as it abandoned more ambitious goals and aims such as seizing the capital Kyiv.
Zelensky said, “I want to emphasize that the units defending these cities could be provided with ammunition and everything necessary, on time and without interruption.”.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said that the fight for Soledar was “the fiercest and heaviest” of the war.
She said that “Despite the difficult situation, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting stubbornly,”.
Although Russian mercenary group Wagner claimed early Wednesday its forces had captured Soledar, the defence ministry in Moscow said fighting was ongoing and Ukraine denied any total takeover.
Military maps released by Russia’s defence ministry on Thursday did not show Soledar under the control of Moscow’s regular army.
