Ukrainian forces outside the disputed city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine are holding back Russian units so that ammunition, food, equipment and medicine can be delivered to the defenders, the Ukrainian army said on Saturday.

In addition, in the latest report on the significant damage inflicted on the enemy, the Ukrainian military claims that 193 Russians were killed and another 199 were wounded during Friday’s fighting.

Russia has made the capture of Bakhmut a priority of its strategy to take control of the industrial Donbas in eastern Ukraine. The city was largely destroyed during months of fighting, during which Russia launched repeated assaults.

“We manage to deliver the necessary ammunition, food, equipment and medicines to Bakhmut. We also manage to take our wounded out of the city,” Ukrainian army spokesman Serhii Tserevatii told the ICTV channel.

According to Cherevaty, scouts and counter-artillery of the Ukrainian army are helping to keep open some roads to the city. In addition to the significant damage inflicted on the enemy, pro-Kiev forces on Friday shot down two drones and destroyed five of its ammunition depots, the Ukrainian military spokesman added.

This information could not be verified from independent sources, Reuters notes.

Last Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced that Russian forces had recorded more than 1,100 deaths in less than a week of fighting in and near the city of Bakhmut. (Agerpress)