Russian official says forces have seized 75% of Bakhmut

Russian forces have managed to seize 75 percent of the frontline town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, a Russian official claims.

Bakhmut has been the subject of one of the most protracted battles in the ongoing conflict.

On Monday, Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed leader of Donetsk, said Russian forces controlled more than 75 percent of the blockaded Bakhmut, the battle over which has drawn comparisons with World War One due to massive casualties on both sides.

Pushilin published footage of himself on Telegram purportedly visiting the salt mining town, and was seen among ruins, clad in body armor and with explosions audible in the background.

For the Kremlin, capturing Bakhmut is essential for achieving its stated goal of taking control of the whole of Donetsk, one of the four Ukrainian regions - along with Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia - that Moscow added to the Russian Federation following referendums in the said regions in September 2022.

So far, much of the territory in the Russian-annexed regions still remain in Ukrainian hands.

Moscow says Bakhmut would be a stepping stone and a rare battlefield gain in completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region (composed of Donetsk and Luhansk), one of Moscow’s most important objectives.

MG