According to CNN, Russian forces continue to increase their offensive in the Bakhmut region of eastern Ukraine, but have captured little additional territory in the past 24 hours.

“The enemy was suppressed a little,” a soldier of the 93rd Brigade said in a video commentary of the Ground Forces of Ukraine. “It’s a little calmer, but there’s still shooting in the suburbs. Separate explosions are heard, shells are flying. But we stay in Bakhmut. No one is going to retire yet,” he said.

Colonel Yuriy Madyar, the commander of the famous 28th brigade, said in a Telegram video message that “Bakhmut is holding on”, but the price for holding the city “is getting heavier and heavier”.

“For the last day, the enemy is wreaking havoc, first of all, with the intention of destroying this city, destroying as many lives as possible that are left here, and at any cost to ensure that the city of Bakhmut is bypassed from the flanks for encirclement. him and block the ways of military movement and the delivery of necessary supplies,” Madiar said.

He added that small arms fighting was taking place north of Bakhmut and that there was “street fighting in the suburbs along the eastern, northern, southern and southwestern periphery”.

Ukrainian units “hold the northern flank to prevent the enemy from encircling Bakhmut,” Madiar said.

“We stopped the enemy in this direction for a long time and did not let their propaganda shout to the whole world about their great offensive successes in this direction,” he said.

As the ground softens in the spring, Madiar said he anticipates the enemy will not be able to “conduct rapid operations.”

The head of the military administration of Bakhmut, Oleksiy Reva, said that fierce battles are still going on for the city. “It hurts to see what enemy shells are doing to the city,” he noted on Facebook.

“Bakhmut is extremely dangerous,” Reva said. “The enemy mercilessly destroys the city, injures and kills the civilian population. To date, the Russians have destroyed more than 4,400 residential buildings.”

The General Staff of the army said that while “the enemy continues to advance in the direction of Bakhmut”, attacks on settlements west of Bakhmut – Khromov, Ivanovske, Orihovo-Vasylivka and Chasiv Yar – were repulsed.