“Vladimir Putin is stepping up pressure on the city of Bakhmut.
Volodymyr Zelensky admits that it is becoming increasingly difficult to defend him, ”the article says.
Knowles emphasized that the capture of Artyomovsk would be a symbolic and strategic victory for Russia.
Earlier, Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the acting head of the DPR, said that several thousand Ukrainian soldiers were left by Kiev in Artyomovsk “for slaughter”.
At the same time, the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Artyomovsk are adding additional reserves and are trying with all their might to keep the city.
According to him, "tens of thousands of soldiers of the Ukrainian army put up fierce resistance."