Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that the situation in the east of the country is “extremely difficult” in the face of Russian troops who have gained positions in recent weeks, particularly near Bakhmut, reports AFP.

“The situation on the front lines, especially in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, remains extremely difficult. This is literally a battle for every meter of Ukrainian land,” Zelenskyy said in an evening video speech.

Ukrainian forces have reportedly blown up a bridge near the eastern town of Bakhmut, suggesting they may be planning to withdraw from the area, giving Russia a major symbolic boost ahead of the war’s one-year anniversary, The Guardian reports. Guardian.

Troops blew up the bridge on Monday, reports a local news site in the Donetsk region. Ukraine has denied plans to leave Bakhmut, despite six months of heavy fighting and reduced supplies.

The Kremlin is reportedly concentrating all its forces to capture Bakhmut by February 24, the anniversary of the invasion.

Ukraine and its Western allies said last week that Russia had already launched a new offensive in an attempt to gain a foothold before new supplies arrive from the West in the spring.

“It is clear that we are in a logistical race,” NATO Director General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels on Monday.

A Russian victory in Bakhmut would give the Kremlin a boost after months of setbacks and would be a step forward in the battle for the next two major cities controlled by Ukraine.

The Battle of Bakhmut, the bloodiest since the beginning of the war

A town of about 70,000 before the Russian offensive began almost a year ago, Bakhmut has been largely destroyed after six months of fighting that caused heavy casualties on both sides.

Neither side reports the number of casualties, but both Ukrainians and Russians call the Battle of Bakhmut the bloodiest in the war.

Even if its strategic importance is contested, the city has become a symbol of the struggle between Moscow and Kyiv for control of the Donetsk industrial district.

On Monday, the Ukrainian presidency acknowledged the “difficult” situation in the town of Paraskoviyvka, only about 10 km from the center of Bakhmut, which is “subject to intense Russian bombing and attacks.”

Denys Pushylin said on Friday that Moscow forces now control three of the four supply routes for Ukrainian troops on the way to Bakhmut.

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