Ukrainian soldiers in the hard-fought town of Bakhmut are holding their positions, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, despite the “most difficult” situation on the ground. It is not without reason that the “Bakhmut Fortress” is spoken of, said Selenskyj on Wednesday in Kiev at a press conference with the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. “And our fortress lives.”

The situation in Bachmut in the east of the country is currently “the most difficult” nationwide, conceded Zelenskyj and named Wuhledar south of Bakhmut as another critical location. According to their own statements, Russian forces had advanced on both places in the Donetsk region in the past few days.

Many experts agree that conquering Bakhmut, which was badly hit by attacks, would have almost no strategic relevance for the course of the war. It would have a primarily symbolic meaning. Since January, the Russian army, supported by the notorious mercenary group Wagner, has been intensifying its seven-month tenacious offensive on the eastern Ukrainian city.

Fierce resistance in Bakhmut

But even the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigoschin, admitted on Tuesday that in the foreseeable future the “fierce resistance” of Ukrainians in Bakhmut not celebrate victory.

Meanwhile, Sweden’s Prime Minister Kristersson continued to pledge his full support to Ukraine. He did not expressly rule out the delivery of combat aircraft, but emphasized that this would only be possible within the framework of an “international coalition”.

The situation has also “deteriorated” in the province of Luhansk, which borders Donetsk, according to Governor Serhiy Hajday. This applies in particular to the towns of Kreminna and Bilohorivka, on which Russia repeatedly flies airstrikes.

A residential building was hit in attacks on Pokrovsk, a city farther east from the front line, on Wednesday morning. According to the Ukrainian rescue workers, at least one person was killed and twelve others were injured. According to the authorities, at least two other people were still buried.