'Difficult' situation in Bakhmout, but Ukrainian soldiers are holding out, says Zelensky

UPGRADE DAY

Ukrainian soldiers are holding their positions “firmly” in Bakhmout, a city in eastern Ukraine where the situation is “the most difficult” against Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.< /p>

“This is the most difficult point, the hottest right now,” he said during a press conference in Kyiv with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, traveling to the Ukrainian capital.

“It's not easy for our soldiers in the east, but it's not for nothing that we talk about the 'Bahmut Fortress'. Our fortress is alive,” he continued, paying tribute to the Ukrainian military who “stand firmly” in their positions.

Volodymyr Zelensky also cited Vougledar, south of Bakhmout, in the same province of Donetsk in which the Russians are on the offensive as a hot spot.

Tuesday evening, he had already reported an “extremely difficult” situation in Bakhmout, where most of the clashes have been taking place for months and where Russian troops have been gaining ground in recent weeks.

For his part, the Swedish Prime Minister affirmed that Stockholm would continue to “support as much as possible” Ukraine. At a time when Kyiv is clamoring for fighter jets, Mr Kristersson said “nothing” was “out of the question”, while stressing that such deliveries could only be made within the framework of an “international coalition

The fighting has also increased in intensity in recent days in the province of Lugansk, neighboring that of Donetsk.

On Wednesday, the governor of Lugansk, Serguiy Gaïdaï, has reported a “worsening” of the situation, especially around the localities of Kreminna and Bilogorivka where the Russian military is attacking in “waves” with the support of the air force.

In Pokrovsk, a city in the is farther from the front line, strikes also hit an apartment building in the morning, killing at least one person and injuring twelve, according to the Ukrainian emergency service.

 “At least two other people are still under the rubble,” the service said in a message on Telegram.