Ukraine: According to Ukraine’s President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the outcome of the conflict raging around Bakhmut and other significant cities and towns in the east of the country will determine the nation’s future.

In a late-night video speech, Mr. Zelenskyy declared that the future of Ukraine depended on defeating Russian forces advancing on Bakhmut and other war-torn villages in the eastern Donetsk region of the country. “It is very tough in the east, very painful. We need to destroy the enemy’s military might, and we will,” Mr. Zelenskyy remarked.

The Russian assault force is alleged to have thrown a sizable number of soldiers into the fight without regard for casualties, according to the Ukrainian military, which claims it has not retreated from Bakhmut and is determined to stay to fight. By doing so, the Ukrainian military hopes to inflict significant losses on the Russian assault force.

After making declarations in recent weeks that a Ukrainian defeat was near, Russian forces headed by the Wagner mercenary army have so far been unable to encircle the city of Bakhmut despite having taken the east of the city.

Moreover, Bakhmut could fall in a matter of days, according to a previous week NATO warning. Ukrainian officials noted that Russia’s forces in Bakhmut have been worn down and weakened as a result of Ukraine’s ongoing combat, which has also distracted Russia’s attention and firepower from launching a planned counterattack in the spring.

WORLD ROUNDUP: Iraq’s PM plans to plant 5mn trees to tackle climate-stress