Russia-Ukraine war: Fighting in Bakhmut region as Ukrainian forces gear up for counter-attack in Kherson

Ukrainian forces have advanced in their counter-attack in reclaiming territories in the eastern region. Heavy fighting has taken place in Bakhmut as Ukrainian forces are gearing up to reclaim the southern region of Kherson.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his nightly address Wednesday that the fighting is heavy in the eastern region of Donbas near Bakhmut, a key town that Russia’s Wagner forces are looking to seize. In the southern region, Russians were also reportedly reinforcing their positions in Kherson, a territory Moscow claimed to have annexed.

“The situation on the frontline hasn’t changed significantly,” said Zelenskyy. “The fiercest battles are in the Donetsk region, towards Bakhmut and Avdiivka.”

“This is where the craziness of the Russian command is most evident,” said Zelenskyy. “Day after day, for months, they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes.”

In Kherson, Russian-installed official Vladimir Saldo told a regional television channel that around 70,000 residents in Kherson have left their homes in a span of a week. Kyiv has previously called the evacuation “a propaganda show.” Pro–Russian officials are looking to move the residents they claim to have evacuated to the Russian-controlled areas on the left bank of the river but will not pull out any of its forces.

According to officials and military analysts, the battle in Kherson would determine whether Ukraine can loosen Russia’s control in its southern territory and describing the expected battle as among the most consequential since Russia invaded on February 24.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol denied the allegations made by Vladimir Putin that South Korea was supplying Ukraine with weapons. Putin made the claim as he warned that such a decision would strain bilateral relations between Russia and South Korea.

“We’ve provided humanitarian and peaceful assistance to Ukraine in solidarity with the international community but never any lethal weapons of any such things,” said Yoon, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news outlet.

“But in any case, it’s a matter of our sovereignty, and I’d like you to know that we are trying to maintain peaceful and good relations with all countries around the world, including Russia.”