The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had been trying to break through the Russian defense line in the town of Bakhmut over the past 24 hours, Russian news agencies reported.

Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konachenkov said all Ukrainian attacks were repelled.

Moscow also announced the deaths of two Russian army officers on the Ukrainian front, a rare move by the Russian military leadership since the start of Russia’s offensive into Ukraine.

Colonels Vyacheslav Makarov and Yevgeny Brovko died heroically in Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces appear to be using the Russian forces’ battle points in Bakhmut and, having recaptured the territory south of the city and advanced two to three kilometers, according to the head of the Russian Wagner mercenary company Yevgeny Prigozhin, are now trying to continue to control the area to the southwest away from the city, allowing safe resupply.

According to the New York Times, the Russians still control 90% of Bahamut.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said it had “delivered” pinpoint strikes from the air and sea. Ternopil (western Ukraine) and Petropavlovka (central-western Ukraine) caches of weapons, mostly Western weapons, that were sent to Ukraine to repel a Russian attack.

Two civilians were injured after shelling in Ternopil.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters, DW, The New York Times.