Ukrainian Military Has Successfully Detained Russian Troops In Bakhmut, President Zelensky: Thank You For Preventing The Invaders From Carrying Out The Siege

JAKARTA - The city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is facing heavy Russian artillery fire, Moscow's new major attack wave, days before the one-year anniversary of the invasion, with the Ukrainian military claiming to have repelled the assault.

Ukrainian forces, which have been on the defensive for months, are preparing for a new ground offensive, Ukrainian military officials said Monday.

Positions in Bakhmut have been fortified and only persons with military roles are allowed entry, while any civilians still wishing to leave the town must brave the incoming fire, said a deputy battalion commander.

Bakhmut is the main goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its mastery would give Russia a new foothold in the Donetsk region and a rare victory, after months of decline.

The Donetsk and Luhansk regions form Donbas, Ukraine's industrial heartland, which is now partly occupied by Russia seeking full control.

"We see how they send more troops, more weapons, more capabilities," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, saying it was the start of a new offensive.

The Ukrainian military reported Russian shelling along the front and said 16 settlements had been bombarded near Bakhmut. It said that over the past few days, its forces had repelled attacks near Bakhmut as well as attacks in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

"Thanks to each of our soldiers who prevented the invaders from encircling Bakhmut... and who held our key positions on the front line," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.

The Russian offensive on Bakhmut was spearheaded by mercenaries from Wagner's group, who gained a relatively small advantage. The latest Russian bombing has made the situation there even worse.

"The city, the suburbs, the entire perimeter, and basically the entire direction of Bakhmut and Kostyantynivka are under mad and chaotic shelling," said Volodymyr Nazarenko, deputy commander of the Svoboda Battalion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said its troops had advanced several kilometers along the front line, without specifying where.

Separately, the United Nations human rights office said on Monday it had recorded 7,199 civilian deaths and 11,756 injuries since Russia's invasion on February 24, mostly from shelling and missile and air strikes. However, it is believed the actual figure is much higher.

It is known that Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in what it called a "special military operation" to "denazify" the country and protect Russian speakers. Whereas Western leaders say it is nothing more than a land grab.