The Battle for Bakhmut: Ukraine Holds Ground Against Russian Attacks.

The Russian-installed leader of Ukraine's Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, said that the situation for Russian forces trying to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is "difficult" because there are no signs Kyiv is ready to order a withdrawal of its troops. Russian forces, led by the private Wagner militia, have been trying to encircle and capture the eastern Ukrainian city for months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly said he will not withdraw his forces from Bakhmut, even as Kyiv and Western officials have downplayed the strategic significance of the city.