Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelensky visits frontline city of Bakhmut - BBC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made an unannounced sojourn to the frontline metropolis of Bakhmut, wherever Ukrainian and Russian forces person fought a fierce, months-long battle.

He met troops and handed retired awards to soldiers, the presidency said.

For months, Bakhmut has been a cardinal people for Russian forces successful the Donetsk region, and has been highly severely damaged.

However, Ukrainian forces person been capable to clasp backmost the advance.

The sojourn is simply a important amusement of defiance - and a objection of enactment for Ukrainian forces engaged successful immoderate of the fiercest battles successful caller weeks.

His travel volition beryllium compared with caller nationalist appearances by the Russian President Vladimir Putin - who connected Monday travelled to Minsk for the archetypal clip successful much than 3 years to conscionable Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a long-time ally.

In video footage shown connected the Freedom TV transmission connected Telegram, Mr Zelensky wished his troops well.

"I deliberation that the heroes of Bakhmut should person what each idiosyncratic has, that everything should beryllium OK for their children, their families, that they're lukewarm and healthy," helium said.

"I'd similar to privation them light, but it's specified a hard concern that determination is airy and past determination isn't. The main happening is for determination to beryllium interior light."

He said the Russians had already mislaid 99,000 troops successful the war. However, this fig cannot beryllium independently verified, and neither Russia nor Ukraine person revealed the afloat grade of their casualties.

Mr Zelensky added: "Since May, the occupiers person been trying to interruption our Bakhmut, but clip goes by and Bakhmut is breaking not lone the Russian army, but besides the Russian mercenaries who travel to regenerate the wasted service of the occupiers."

Presidential spokesperson Serhiy Nikiforov said Mr Zelensky had near the metropolis earlier his sojourn was announced.

The president has antecedently visited different precocious liberated cities, specified arsenic Kherson and Izyum.

Bakhmut has been a absorption of the Russian run for months and Moscow has thrown immense resources into capturing it.

It could unfastened the mode to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the astir important cities successful the Donbas portion inactive nether Ukrainian control.

But with Ukraine strengthening its defences successful the surrounding area, it is thought that immoderate Russian triumph present present would beryllium lone symbolic.

Both sides person sustained dense losses, starring some Russian and Ukrainian commanders to picture it arsenic a "meat grinder". Few civilians are present near successful the city, which had a colonisation of 70,000 earlier the war.

Today is the 300th time since Russia's penetration of Ukraine. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar, who besides visited Bakhmut, wrote connected Facebook: "What are 300 days successful our much than 300-year conflict for liberation from Russia!

"We're standing. We're fighting. We're going to win!"