The Ongoing Battle for Bakhmut: Updates and Tensions Rise.

Russian forces, led by the Wagner Group, have seized the centre of Bakhmut, but Ukrainian defenders are still holding them at bay. Pro-Russian civilians are evacuating southern occupied regions as thousands of Ukrainian soldiers complete their overseas training for a counteroffensive that could come later this month. The Ukrainian forces are receiving military aid from several countries, including the US, Spain, and Poland. Meanwhile, Russian casualties are increasing, and Russian elites are reportedly making contact with Ukrainian authorities to secure guarantees of safety. Western leaders are urging Chinese President Xi Jinping to play a role in securing peace, but caution that any peace plan that consolidates Russian annexations is not viable.