(Reuters) – Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the seizure of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine would allow Moscow’s forces to mount further offensive operations.
Russian forces have been waging an intense campaign for months to seize control of the small city in what would become their first significant territorial advance since last summer.
Shoigu also said the West was increasing its arms deliveries to Ukraine, but vowed they would not change the course of events on the battlefield.
“The liberation of Artemovsk continues,” Shoigu said in televised remarks, using the old Soviet-era name for Bakhmut.
“The city is an important hub for defending Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. Taking it under control will allow further offensive actions to be conducted deep into Ukraine’s defensive lines,” Shoigu said.
The heavily industrialised Donbas region of eastern Ukraine comprises Donetsk and Luhansk, which are both claimed by Russia along with two other Ukrainian regions as its own territory.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group which is leading the battle for the city, said last Friday that his forces had “practically surrounded” Bakhmut.
Ukraine’s top generals have vowed to keep defending the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Monday.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Gareth Jones)
