Zelenskiy: Ukraine troops hold key town, Russia firing more missiles - Yahoo News

By David Ljunggren

(Reuters) - Ukrainian troops are inactive holding the strategical eastbound municipality of Bakhmut contempt repeated Russian attacks portion the concern successful the Donbas portion remains precise difficult, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said connected Saturday.

Zelenskiy, speaking successful an evening address, besides said Russian missiles and drones had continued to deed Ukrainian cities, causing demolition and casualties.

Although Ukrainian troops person recaptured thousands of quadrate kilometres (miles) of onshore successful caller offensives successful the eastbound and south, officials accidental advancement is apt to dilatory erstwhile Kyiv's forces conscionable much determined resistance.

Fighting is peculiarly aggravated successful the eastbound Donetsk and Luhansk provinces bordering Russia. Together they marque up the larger concern Donbas, which Moscow has yet to afloat capture.

Russian forces person repeatedly tried to prehend Bakhmut, which sits connected a main roadworthy starring to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Both are situated successful the Donetsk region.

"Active warring continues successful assorted areas of the front. A precise hard concern persists successful the Donetsk portion and Luhansk region," Zelenskiy said.

"The astir hard (situation) is successful the absorption of Bakhmut, arsenic successful erstwhile days. We are holding our positions."

Separately, the Ukrainian equipped forces' wide unit said successful a Facebook station that troops had connected Saturday repelled a full of 11 abstracted Russian attacks adjacent Kramatorsk, Bakhmut and the municipality of Avdiivka, conscionable to the northbound of Donetsk.

Zelenskiy said Russian forces, which rained cruise missiles connected respective Ukrainian cities connected Monday, had deed targets successful 7 regions implicit the past 2 days.

"Some of the missiles and drones were changeable down but unfortunately, not each of them. Unfortunately, determination is demolition and casualties," helium said. Kyiv said connected Friday that it expected the United States and Germany to present blase anti-aircraft systems this month.

Zelenskiy besides said astir 65,000 Russians had been killed truthful acold since the Feb. 24 invasion, a fig acold higher than Moscow's authoritative Sept. 21 estimation of 5,937 dead. In August the Pentagon said Russia has suffered betwixt 70,000 and 80,000 casualties, either killed oregon wounded.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Grant McCool)