That’s why they launched an offensive in other places to stop our attack on Bakhmut.” And they exposed their rear near Bakhmut. “And in order to pull our forces away from Bakhmut, the Russians moved forward in other directions so that we would throw our forces to save them. The Russians were trapped there, they couldn’t get out and now they can’t move around the city of Bakhmut because the Ukrainians are shelling the city from the heights. We have taken almost all the key heights there. She added: “Why are the Russians doing this? We were making good progress on both flanks in Bakhmut. We are attacking on the southern flank of Bakhmut.” “In the direction of Bakhmut in the north, Russians are attacking. The Russians are infiltrating in two main areas – Kupiansk and Lyman. Maliar said: “The main focus of the Ukrainian army is the south, and the Russians are focused on the east. Russia’s defence ministry announced its soldiers had “improved their position” in the area. Residents were told to evacuate to Kharkiv, about 56 miles west, where they would have the option to move to safer regions, with children, elderly people and those who were sick in particular urged to leave. “Given the difficult security situation and the increasing amount of shelling by Russian terrorist forces in Kupiansk community, you have the opportunity to evacuate to a safer place,” the city administration said. The local military administration described the evacuation order as mandatory but said people could stay if they signed a document stating they would do so at their own risk.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of thousands of civilians from 37 towns and villages in the Kupiansk district, in the Kharkiv region, which lies north of Bakhmut.

With Ukraine on the advance on the outskirts of the city, she claimed that Russia had been seeking to draw their combat units away by attacking areas of the Kharkiv region liberated from Russian occupation last September. In an interview with the Guardian, Maliar said Russian soldiers could no longer move around Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region and progress was being made in outflanking enemy forces after months of deadly battle.

Russian main battle tank wallpaper