Russia Claims Control of Bakhmut, Zelenskyy Says City is "Only in Our Hearts"

Russian forces, with the support of the Wagner private army, have seized the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, according to reports from the Russian defense ministry and Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the city was "only in our hearts" and that "there is nothing in this place" after the Russians destroyed everything. The eight-month battle for the city is the longest and bloodiest of the conflict in Ukraine. The fall of Bakhmut would be a blow to Ukraine and give tactical advantages to Russia, but analysts say it wouldn't prove decisive to the outcome of the war.