The military said that no one is going to surrender the city.
The situation in Bakhmuti, Donetsk region remains difficult. However, there are no full-fledged street fights in the city itself.
As he told on the air “EspressoVolodymyr Nazarenko, lieutenant, deputy commander of the “Freedom” battalion as part of the 4th operational brigade of the National Guard, now street battles are being fought on the outskirts of the city, namely the approaches to Bakhmut, in private sectors.
“It is a very difficult situation. Very different news and rumors are coming in. The Russians are trying to spread panic among the Defense Forces. No one is going to surrender the city, on the contrary, the defense is being strengthened. In the part that can be called the city, the enemy is not present. The fighting is taking place on the outskirts, on subterfuges, in private sectors, etc. It is not necessary to talk about full-fledged street battles. This is not a frontal battle in urban development,” Nazarenko explained.
Battles for Bakhmut: the latest news
According to Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Malyar, this week the Russian invaders threw all their forces into the breakthrough of the Ukrainian defense and the encirclement of Bakhmut. In addition, the enemy launched powerful offensive actions in the Lyman direction.
In addition, in Bakhmut, where heavy battles are fought, the famous American volunteer Pete Reed died. The Russians killed him on Thursday while providing aid to the civilian population. Also that day in the city came under fire and were wounded two Norwegian medical volunteers Sander Sjorsven Trelvik and Simon Jonsen.
At the same time, the United States advises the Ukrainian military to wait for the delivery of new weapons. In addition, there is a possibility that The ZSU will have to move away from Bakhmut Donetsk region to accumulate resources for the spring counteroffensive.