- Russia claims incremental gains along front lines
- Bakhmut remains focus of battle, “chaotic shelling”
- Power was restored after strikes in power plants
- Ukraine says it has repelled attacks in several regions
KIEV, Feb 13 (Portal) – The town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine was hit by heavy Russian artillery fire on Monday as Ukrainian forces there prepared for possible ground attacks, Ukrainian military officials said.
The positions in Bakhmut have been fortified and only people with military function are allowed in, said a deputy battalion commander. Any civilians still wanting to leave the city would have to brave the incoming fire, he said.
Bakhmut in the Donetsk region is a key target of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and months of Russian bombing have already left much of it in ruins.
As the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches and a major new Kremlin offensive is expected, the situation there has worsened.
“The city, the city’s suburbs, the entire perimeter and essentially the entire Bakhmut and Kostyantynivka direction are under crazy, chaotic shelling,” said Volodymyr Nazarenko, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Soboda Battalion.
last update
Watch 2 more stories
“Every street is chaotically shelled by artillery.”
Nazarenko said that although no fighting is currently taking place in the city center, the defenders are prepared for any attack.
“The city is a fortress, every position and every street there, almost every building, is a fortress,” he said.
The capture of Bakhmut would give Putin a new foothold in the Donetsk region and a rare victory after several months of setbacks. The Russian attack was led by Wagner Group mercenaries, who made small but steady gains.
The regions of Donetsk and Luhansk form the Donbass, the industrial heartland of Ukraine. Russia partially occupies it and wants to gain full control.
Russia’s Defense Ministry earlier Monday said its troops had advanced a few kilometers along the frontline without specifying where in a war zone spanning several regions to the south and east.
The Ukrainian military reported Russian shelling all along the front and said 16 settlements near Bakhmut had been bombed. It said its forces repelled a series of attacks near Bakhmut over the past day, as well as attacks in the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Zaporizhia regions.
Lugansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian troops attacked Bilogorivka from all sides before dawn on Monday.
“But our troops fought back there,” he told Ukrainian television. “It was the same situation towards Kreminna – many of them (Russians) showed up there. But they withdrew after fighting with our forces.”
Repeating comments he made last week that Russian attacks were intensifying ahead of a new offensive, he said: “Preparations for this offensive are already underway, the number of shells, airstrikes and small group attacks have already increased. We’re doing it waiting for them to launch massive attacks 24/7.”
Portal was unable to independently verify the battlefield reports.
VILLAGE ON FIRE
The front-line village of Chasiv Yar has come under heavy shelling in recent days as Russian troops worked to cut off routes to the town of Bakhmut.
A family told Portal they decided to leave the village after a projectile flew into their garden, destroying an outside toilet and damaging the roof and windows of their home.
Grandmother Raiisa Akusova, 75, suffered a heart attack shortly after leaving for the evacuation center in Dnipro and volunteers took her to a medical center where she was pronounced dead, they said.
Her nine-year-old grandson, Oleksandr, cried as the family discussed where the funeral should take place.
WESTERN SUPPORT
With Ukraine desperate for more arms and ammunition to turn the tide of the war, the defense ministers of several NATO countries allied with Kiev were scheduled to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss possible further military aid.
Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov said the main items on the agenda of talks at NATO headquarters are air defense, formation of an armored coalition, training of troops and logistical support.
As Russia’s new offensive looms, Ukraine says it needs fighter jets and long-range missiles to counter it and reclaim lost territory.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, saying its neighbor posed a security threat. Kiev and the West say the action was nothing more than a land grab.
Putin’s forces failed in an early attempt to capture the capital, and the conflict has since turned into a war of attrition, killing thousands of soldiers and civilians and leaving entire cities in ruins.
Also on Monday, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said
Ukraine met consumers’ energy needs after carrying out repairs to the national power grid following the latest spate of Russian airstrikes on Friday.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian power plants in recent months, leaving millions of people without light, heat or water at times during the cold winter.
Writing by Angus MacSwan, editing by Sharon Singleton
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.