Ukraine battles Russian advance in key town of Bakhmut

Members of Ukraine Armed Forces are defending the eastern industrial town of Bakhmut as separatist forces in the war-battered Donetsk region advance after recapturing a series of villages nearby.

Bakhmut – a wine-producing and salt-mining town on the main road from Donetsk to the capital Kyiv once home to 70,000 people – would be a major prize if Russia has any hope of securing the region after invading Ukraine in February.

Intense shelling was audible from the direction of Otradovka, Veselaya Dolina, and Zaitsevo, which are now apparently in the hands of forces loyal to the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic now annexed by Russia.

A Ukrainian artillery commander named Serhiy told Al Jazeera that Ukrainian soldiers were in Bakhmut because “it is a key point”.

“Our task is the destruction of places where there is a concentration of manpower and batteries of firing positions,” he said.

The sound of explosions echoed through the empty streets of Bakhmut as Ukrainian forces went on patrol.

Another Ukrainian soldier called Nikolai said the Russians were “throwing all their forces at the town”.

“Artillery, air power, even helicopters are attacking our positions,” said Nikolai. “They try to approach during night and day. And it’s their elite units and mercenaries. There are no regular Russians soldiers left.”

Ukraine’s military in recent weeks has pushed back against Russian forces across the front lines in the south and in the east, including in parts of Donetsk. Western weaponry has helped the Ukrainian army win back more territory in the past month than Russian forces have taken in five months.

The defence of Bakhmut, however, remains one Ukraine’s biggest challenges on the eastern front line.