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Gallery|Russia-Ukraine war

Photos: Ukraine holds Bakhmut as Russia attacks relentlessly

Russian troops must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into eastern Donetsk, which Moscow seeks to control fully.

Russia Ukraine War
Ukrainian soldiers patrol near the heaviest battles in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
Published On 16 Mar 202316 Mar 2023
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Ukrainian troops defended positions in besieged Bakhmut during a relentless push by Russian forces to capture the city turned into a wasteland after seven months of fighting.

Both sides claimed successes in what has become the longest-running battle since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

Ukrainian forces on the ground shot down a Russian fighter jet near Bakhmut and made gains in northern parts of the city, military officials said.

Meanwhile, Yevgeny Prigozhin – founder of the mercenary Wagner Group, which has spearheaded the Russian assault on the city – said in a social media post that Russian forces took control of the settlement of Zaliznyanskoye and expanded the encirclement of Bakhmut.

Both claims could not be verified.

The battle for Bakhmut intensified after Russian forces captured the nearby town of Soledar in January. Russian soldiers must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of eastern Donetsk province that Moscow seeks to fully control.

The only highway west has been targeted by Russian artillery fire, forcing Ukrainian defenders to rely increasingly on muddy rural roads that are hard to navigate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the situation in Bakhmut with top military and intelligence officials and they all agreed on the need to hold the city.

Russia Ukraine War
A view of Bakhmut city, the site of the heaviest battles during the yearlong war with Russian troops. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
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Russia Ukraine War
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his military brass advised reinforcing Bakhmut with more soldiers. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
Russia Ukraine War
Ukraine troops appeared to be preparing to pull out of the besieged city but have now decided to defend it, saying it is exhausting Russia's attacking force, which could pave the way for a counterattack. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
Russia Ukraine War
To the north of Bakhmut, Ukrainian soldiers in a bombed-out village near the city of Kreminna battled what they said was an attempt by Russia to undertake a giant pincer move. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
Russia Ukraine War
'The Russians try to adapt in real time,' says a member of a drone unit call-signed Zara. 'This makes great problems for us because we have to think a couple of steps ahead. How do successfully complete the mission and not let the enemy know how we did it.' [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
Russia Ukraine War
A Ukrainian soldier looks at a screen of a drone remote control in the area of the heaviest battles near Bakhmut. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
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Russia Ukraine War
Curtains blow in a flat of a building damaged by shelling. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
Russia Ukraine War
Ukrainian soldiers take a break in a building during the heaviest battles with Russian troops in Bakhmut. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]
Russia Ukraine War
A Ukrainian soldier carries a portable anti-aircraft missile system. [Roman Chop/AP Photo]


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