Ukrainian soldiers literally fought with their fists, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a Ukrainian soldier told Washington Post earlier this week.
The fighting in the city has been fierce and already on Sunday, British intelligence stated that the Ukrainian defense was under sharply increasing pressure.
The fighting is still going on in the city, but it is moving towards Russian control, several experts have claimed. Nevertheless, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuses to withdraw the forces from the hard-hit city.
He calls it a tactical decision and warns that Russian forces could have an “open way” to capture other important cities in eastern Ukraine should they withdraw.
– We understand that after Bakhmut they can go further. Then they can go to Kramatorsk, they can go to Slovjansk, that would be an open way for the Russians, says Zelenskyj in a recent interview with CNN.
HARD FIGHTING: Ukrainian soldiers near Bakhmut on March 7. Photo AP/NTB
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However, he calls the Russian motivations for taking Bakhmut very different from the Ukrainian ones.
– We understand what Russia wants to achieve there. Russia desperately needs a victory, a small victory, regardless of whether it means they have to destroy everything in Bakhmut and kill all the civilians there, says the president.
– If Russia gets to put its little flag on top of Bakhmut, it will help them mobilize their society to create this idea that they have such a powerful army, says Zelenskyj.
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