Aftermath of a Russian artillery strike on a psychiatric hospital in Kherson
A senior Russian official inside occupied Ukraine has issued a panicked statement confirming the attacks on key bases.
Denis Pushilin, an official inside Ukraine’s Donbas region often referred to as one of Putin’s puppets, confirmed Bakhmut had been targeted by heavy shelling.
These were coordinated by assaults on several nearby villages, Pushilin added.
Speaking in a video on Telegram, the Russia-installed official, said: “Over the past 24 hours in the Krasnolimansk [Lyman] direction, the enemy took a number of actions and conducted combat reconnaissance in several directions at once.”
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He added: “The situation in (Bakhmut) remains hot, (the city) itself is under chaotic shelling.”
During his monologue, Pushilin detailed a number of villages within the Donetsk region, close to the city of Lyman, which were under attack by Ukraine.
Bakhmut was taken over by Russian forces in May following months of bloody fighting.
Since its takeover, Ukraine has continued its assaults to regain the key territory.
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A new report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) detailed that Ukraine forces “achieved unspecified success near Odradivka (9km south of Bakhmut), Andriivka (10km southwest of Bakhmut), and Kurdyumivka (12km southwest of Bakhmut)” on Thursday, advancing the country’s promise in the region.
The newest developments come as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, took part in a whistlestop tour of the US, gaining vital support from lawmakers across the Atlantic Ocean.
He spoke to CNN about his plans to “de-occupy Bakhmut”, adding: “I think that we will de-occupy two more cities.
“I will not tell you what cities, sorry. And so we have the plan. Very, very comprehensive plan.”
High-ranking Russian staff, including Putin himself, have poured scorn on claims of Ukrainian gains surrounding Bakhmut.
But fighting around the besieged city has been fierce.
Ukraine has made gains, but since June progress has slowed up.
The ISW report from Thursday notes that geolocated footage from the area showed Ukraine’s army breaking through Russia’s defences.
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