President Zelensky Says Russia Doesn't Control Bakhmut, But Prioritizes the Safety of Its Troops: Will it Pull Back?

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian troops had not yet taken control of Bakhmut while his troops were still there, but that he was prioritizing the safety of his troops if the enemy approached.

President Zelensky said Ukrainian troops faced a very difficult situation in Bakhmut and Kyiv would take the "right" decision to protect them, if they risk being surrounded by Russian invading forces.

He said Kyiv troops in Bakhmut sometimes advanced slightly, were later pushed back, but they remained in the city.

"We are in Bakhmut and the enemy does not control it," President Zelensky said, citing Reuters, April 6.

Bakhmut, in the largely Russian-occupied Donetsk Province, has been one of the bloodiest and longest battlefronts of the Russian invasion, now in its 14th month.

Kyiv troops had held off the Russian offensive with heavy losses on both sides and the city, a mining and transport hub, was in ruins after months of street fighting and bombing.

"For me, the most important thing is not to lose our soldiers and of course if there is a hotter and more dangerous moment of events, we can lose our personnel because of the siege. Of course the right decisions will be taken by the generals there," he explained, although it is not clear whether this could mean the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from there.

However, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the situation at the front was "completely under control" despite repeated attempts by Russia to seize Bakhmut and other towns in the east.

He wrote on Telegram that the Ukrainian army repelled dozens of attacks a day around Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiivka, and Marinka.

Previously, Ukrainian military commanders had stressed the importance of defending Bakhmut and other towns, as well as incurring losses ahead of a planned counteroffensive by Kyiv in the east in the coming weeks or months.

Meanwhile, mercenaries from Wagner's group, which has spearheaded the attack on Bakhmut, said over the weekend they had captured the city center, although Kyiv denies this.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Wagner fighters had made progress on Bakhmut and would likely continue to seek to consolidate control over the city center, pushing westward through the dense urban environment.