Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit in Kyiv, Ukraine September 8, 2022. Genya Savilov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated in a video address on Saturday that Ukrainian troops are engaged in fierce fighting near the strategically vital eastern town of Bakhmut, which Russia is attempting to seize.
Although Ukrainian military have retaken thousands of square kilometers (miles) of territory in recent offensives in the east and south, experts predict that progress will stall once Kyiv’s forces face more strong opposition.
Russian forces have repeatedly tried to seize Bakhmut, which sits on a main road leading to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Both are situated in the industrial Donbas region, which Moscow has yet to fully capture.
“We are holding our positions in the Donbas, in particular in the Bakhmut direction, where it is very, very difficult now, very tough fighting,” said Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy reiterated a call for western allies to provide greater amounts of anti-aircraft systems.
Russian forces are continuing to fire missiles at Ukrainian cities, and Kyiv accuses them of using Iranian suicide drones.
An official in the southern town of Zaporizhzhia said a Russian missile had hit a building late on Saturday.
Separately, officials said the death toll from a Russian rocket attack against Zaporizhzhia on Thursday had risen to 18.
