President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian troops do not plan to leave the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) in Donbass, despite the difficult situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Al Arabiya TV channel, this decision is due to the fact that the retreat could create a springboard for the offensive of Russian troops and increase the number of territories controlled by Moscow.
According to Zelensky, holding the city is necessary to expand the front and prevent attacks by Russian units on larger cities, including Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
As previously reported, Ukrainian troops have already lost a large number of fighters in the battles for Artemivsk, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to suffer significant losses. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner PMC, said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost about 10-11 thousand people in a month. Despite this, Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine will continue to hold the city.
Source: Syrsky reported to Zelensky about the complete destruction of heavy equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Bakhmut