Geography of Ukraine

Although it looks increasingly likely that Russia is going to capture Bakhmut, the heavy loss of men and equipment in its attempt to seize the mining town in the Donetsk region could limit its ability to launch new offensives in the near future.

Ukraine pledged Monday to bolster its defences in frontline Bakhmut, after reports that Kiev was withdrawing from the city that has become a symbolic prize in the war.

But Ukrainian forces fighting to retain control of the salt-mining town told AFP its capture by Russia was inevitable and that some units had already begun to pull back.

We are talking about a town that had around 10,000 inhabitants before the war, and which has now been razed to the ground, writes Slobodna Dalmacija, which states that the AP news agency published photos of Marinka taken by a drone that show similar scenes.

As reported by CNN, the bridge was blown up in the night between Thursday and Friday.
Police in the city of Konstantinivka told CNN they hope the bridge will be repaired in the coming days, as it is a vital artery for the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of supplies such as ammunition.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

The Russian army is intensifying its attacks at Bakhmut, the aim being to exhaust and destroy the garrison

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Three people were killed in Russian strikes on a residential area in Ukraine

Olena Morozova had endured months of bombardment in what has become the most gruelling battle of the war in Ukraine for the city of Bakhmut, but on Thursday, she said she had finally had enough.

Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the eastern city of Soledar in the Donetsk region, military spokesman Serhiy Cherevaty was quoted as saying by Ukrainian state television on Wednesday.

"(Our forces) fulfilled their main task: to prevent the enemy from making systematic breakthroughs in the Donetsk direction," Cherevatiy said, quoted by TASS.

As of Monday evening, the Ukrainian military may have already withdrawn from Soledar, which as a result is controlled by the Russian military and the private military company Wagner.

This is according to today's military intelligence briefing, after Russia announced on Friday that it was in control of the Donbas city.

Russia said on Jan. 13 its forces had wrested control of the war-scarred town of Soledar in east Ukraine, its first claim of victory in months of battlefield setbacks, but Ukraine said fierce fighting was still under way.