The political and military leadership of Ukraine has expressed determination that the city of Bakhmut, surrounded by the Russian army, will be saved in any case.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia wants to hail Bakhmut as its biggest military victory in half a year.
Moscow has said for the first time since the invasion more than a year ago that the capture of the city of Bakhmut would be an important step towards the capture of the entire Donbass region.
The top officials of the Ukrainian army say that the enemy is continuously attacking the city of Bakhmut and the surrounding areas under siege.
“We will not back down and strengthen our defenses,” President Zelenskyi said in his address after a meeting with senior military officials late Monday night.
“I have asked my Commander-in-Chief to send forces to support our troops in Bakhmut.”
After the intense fighting, there have been reports that the armies of both the countries are running low on ammunition as it has been continuously used for several days.
Kiev’s European allies have begun working on a new deal to supply it with more ammunition.
The head of the Russian militia, Wagner, said on Monday that his army has strengthened its grip on Bakhmut, but will have to retreat if it is not provided with weapons.
Its head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said in a video message to the Russian authorities that “if Renger has to retreat from Bakhmut, the entire front will collapse, which will harm Russian interests.”
On the other hand, Kiev has requested the US to supply cluster bombs.
A spokeswoman for the National Security Council said that Ukraine and White are discussing the delivery of weapons, but she could not provide further details.
In more than a year of war, Ukraine has focused mostly on defensive operations.
On Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters that he could not predict when Ukrainian troops would leave Bakhmut, but one thing was clear that it would not mean victory for Russia.
Keep in mind that on February 24 last year, Russia attacked the neighboring country of Ukraine, since then the war has been going on. Other Western countries, including the United States, are supporting Ukraine and providing military equipment, and sanctions have also been imposed on Russia.
Russian President Putin says that the war will continue until the Ukrainian army surrenders, while the Ukrainian army, on the other hand, says that it will not surrender under any circumstances.