The ongoing battle for Bakhmut: Updates and insights.

The battle for Bakhmut, a small city in eastern Ukraine, has been ongoing for nine months and has destroyed the city and killed tens of thousands of people. Despite its limited strategic value, both Ukraine and Russia have fought fiercely for control of the city. Ukrainian forces have aimed to exhaust Russian troops and deplete their resources and morale, while Russian President Vladimir Putin badly needs to claim victory in Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces have made significant advances near strategic roads through the countryside just outside the city, chipping away at Russia’s northern and southern flanks with the aim of encircling Wagner fighters inside the city.