AFP: Fierce fighting was raging yesterday for control of the centre of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the bloodiest battle of Moscow’s invasion, as Russia agreed to a short extension of a crucial UN-backed grain export deal.
Ukraine said that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group — which has claimed to be leading Moscow’s charge for Bakhmut — was pushing forward in the industrial city that has been the epicentre of fighting for months.
“Wagner assault units are advancing from several directions,” the Ukrainian military said in a morning briefing. “In fierce battles, our defenders are inflicting significant losses on the enemy.