The ongoing battle for Bakhmut in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed to have raised a Russian flag over Bakhmut's city hall in Ukraine, but Ukraine insists its army still holds the city. The city has little strategic value, but Ukraine sees it as an important drain on Russia's military equipment and manpower. Russian commanders hope taking Bakhmut might give them a springboard for further territorial gains. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are expected to launch a fresh offensive in the coming weeks to try and regain territory that is currently under Russian occupation.