The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, General Oleksandr Syrsky, said on Tuesday that the situation around the besieged city of Bakhmut was “extremely tense,” hours after President Zelensky acknowledged that the defenders of the key city in eastern Ukraine are having an increasingly difficult time.

“Despite their significant losses, the enemy shot down the most trained Wagner landing units, which are trying to break through the defenses of our troops and surround the city,” General Sirsky said on the Telegram channel of the Military Media Center of Ukraine.

Russia is trying to cut off the supply lines of the Ukrainian defenders to the city, the site of the fiercest fighting of the war, and force them to surrender or retreat. This will bring Russia its first major victory in more than six months and pave the way for the capture of the last urban centers in the Donetsk region.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said Russia had reinforced its forces in the Bakhmut area and was shelling settlements around the city.

“In the past 24 hours, our fighters have repelled more than 60 enemy attacks,” the Ukrainian military said, referring to Bakhmut and nearby eastern areas, adding that Ukrainian forces repelled attacks by Russian troops in the villages of Yadindne and Berkhifka north of Bakhmut.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleg Zhdanov said Russian forces had driven a wedge between the villages in an attempt to cut off the road west to Chasov Yar.

“The southern part of Bakhmut is the only territory that can be called under the control of Ukraine. In all other areas, the situation is unpredictable,” he said in the video, adding: “It is impossible to say where the front line is.”

Everything is harder

On Monday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that the situation in Bakhmut was becoming increasingly difficult.

“In the Bahamut area, the situation is becoming more and more difficult. The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions for fortification and defense. Our soldiers defending the area around Bakhmut are real heroes,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Mr. Zelesny thanked the soldiers defending Bakhmut and other sectors of the front, as well as those who help the army and do everything so that the defenders have more powerful long-range weapons.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on Monday, the Ukrainian Air Force carried out four raids on the areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the Russian invaders.

Source: Reuters, Ukrinform