Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the Russian troops will have “open road” to capture key cities in eastern Ukraine if they seize control of Bakhmut, during an interview with CNN, while defending his decision to keep Ukrainian forces in the besieged city.
According to ISW, geolocated footage shows Russian positions in eastern Bakhmut within 200m of the Bakhmutka River and operating comfortably in parts of the city.
These evidence support Wagner’s Group founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claims that his mercenaries forces have captured the eastern part of Bakhmut.
Kyiv is determined to hold the city as long as it can, with President Zelensky stating that the defensive operations are backed by senior generals.
