Ukrainian commanders say they are holding on to Bakhmut amid ferocious assaults on the eastern city

March 1,2023.

Ukrainian commanders say they are holding on to Bakhmut amid ferocious assaults on the eastern city.

Russian forces continue to press their offensive in the Bakhmut area in eastern Ukraine, but have taken little additional territory in the past 24 hours, geolocated video and frontline accounts suggest.

"We have muffled the enemy a little bit," a soldier from the 93th Brigade said, according to video comments posted by the Land Forces of Ukraine. "It's a little calmer, but there are still gunfights on the outskirts. There are isolated explosions, shells are flying. But we are standing in Bakhmut. No one is going to retreat yet."

Col. Yurii Madyar, commander of the 28th Brigade, said in a video message on Telegram that "Bakhmut is withstanding," but that the price for holding on to the city "is becoming increasingly difficult to do so."

"The enemy has been raging for the last day first of all with the intention of destroying this city, to destroy as much of the remaining life here as possible — and at any cost to ensure the bypassing of the city of Bakhmut on the flanks in order to surround it and block the routes of military movement and delivery of necessary supplies," Madyar said.

He added that there were battles involving small arms to the north of Bakhmut, and there was "street fighting in the suburbs along the eastern, northern and southern and western-southern outskirts."

Ukrainian units "are holding the northern flank to prevent the enemy from encircling Bakhmut," Madyar said.

"We have stopped the enemy in this area for a long time and did not allow their propaganda to shout to the whole world about their great offensive successes in this area," he said.

As the ground softens with springtime, Madyar said he foresees the enemy not being able to "carry out any quick operations."

Oleksii Reva, head of Bakhmut city military administration, said there were still heavy battles for the city. "It is painful to see what enemy shells are doing to the city," he said on Facebook.

"It is extremely dangerous in Bakhmut," Reva said. "The enemy is mercilessly destroying the city, injuring and killing civilians. To date, the Russians have destroyed over 4,400 residential buildings."

The military's General Staff said that while "the enemy continues to advance in the Bakhmut sector," attacks on settlements to the west of Bakhmut — Khromove, Ivanivske, Orikhovo-Vasylivka and Chasiv Yar — have been repelled.

Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire targets from a mobile howitzer outside of Bakhmut on February 28.

A building damaged by a Russian military strike in Bakhmut is pictured February 27.

Source:CNN.