The Washington PostThe Washington Post

Zelensky calls fight for east 'painful' as options dwindle in Bakhmut

By Missy Ryan

05 Mar 2023 · 4 min read

Editor's Note

As Ukraine prepares for a grueling spring offensive, the fate of the small city of Bakhmut takes on outsize importance in the ongoing conflict with Russia. The Post reports.

KYIV, Ukraine - Ukrainian forces clung to their positions in Bakhmut on Sunday, fiercely resisting a Russian push to encircle the city in the eastern Donetsk region and prolonging a fight that has become a symbol of Ukraine's battlefield defiance.

Ukrainian officials have described their grip on Bakhmut, a small industrial city, as increasingly tenuous in recent days, suggesting they may need to withdraw to prevent their troops from being trapped by Russian fighters advancing on three sides.

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