The return of Bakhmut is a difficult mission. Ukrainian commander: It is extremely important to prevent the enemy from creating his defensive system in the south

The Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, completely destroyed after more than 9 months of Russian siege. Photo: Presidential Administration in Kyiv

The Ukrainian commander in the Bakhmut area said it was critical that Russian troops fail to build up adequate defenses in the area.

This was announced by Deputy Commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade Maxim Zorin on his Telegram channel, Rador reports with reference to CNN. “One of the most important tasks in the Bakhmut direction is to maintain the pace of the offensive, to prevent the enemy from taking steps to create his own defense system. Such efforts that the enemy has already made, for example, in the Zaporozhye sector”where Ukrainian troops struggle to break through layers of Russian fortifications and minefields.

“Of course, there are mines in our area, and we hit them almost every time during assault operations. There are also fortifications that they manage to build. However, we still cannot allow them to build a strong system here, because we are constantly either pushing them out of position or damaging them, preventing them from taking the necessary actions. This will be a significant problem if we give the enemy time and opportunity to dig and lay mines,” Maxim Zorin said.

Ukrainian forces have made small advances south and northwest of Bakhmut in recent weeks, but have not yet threatened Russian supply lines in the devastated city.

In Zaporozhye, the situation is difficult, the Ukrainians ordered the mandatory evacuation of children from two districts of the region.

Ukrainian authorities have ordered the mandatory evacuation of children from two districts in the Zaporozhye region in the southeast of the country, which are under constant bombardment by Russian forces. Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Vereshchuk told Ukrainian television that the evacuation of Vasilievsky and Pologovsky districts is now mandatory. Altogether, more than 50 civilians are believed to still be living in these areas.

There was also a mandatory evacuation of the population in the Kupyansky district of the Kharkiv region, which has been subjected to intense Russian bombing in recent weeks. And in the Donetsk region, “89 children from 11 settlements have been evacuated, and today the process is underway,” Irina Vereshchuk said.

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