KYIV-Fierce fighting was raging Tuesday for control of the centre of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the bloodiest battle of Moscow’s invasion, as Russia agreed to a short extension of a crucial UN-backed grain export deal. Ukraine said that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group -- which has claimed to be leading Moscow’s charge for Bakhmut -- was pushing forward in the industrial city that has been the epicentre of fighting for months.
“Wagner assault units are advancing from several directions,” the Ukrainian military said in a morning briefing. “In fierce battles, our defenders are inflicting significant losses on the enemy.”
Analysts are divided over the strategic significance of Bakhmut as a military prize but the city has gained important political stature, with both sides pouring significant resources into the fight.
Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin acknowledged that his forces were coming up against determined resistance as they sought to wrest control of the city’s centre in a “very difficult” situation. “The enemy is battling for every metre,” Prigozhin said on social media. The capture of the city would provide the Kremlin with a military win to sell to its domestic audience. Kyiv has also cautioned that Bakhmut’s fall would give Russian forces a clear path deeper into the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin claimed to have annexed to Russia last year.
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