Russian enemy is trapped, they cannot leave Bakhmut – Ukraine’s Defense Ministry

Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said this during a telethon, RBC-Ukraine reports.

According to Maliar, Ukrainian defenders are advancing on the southern flank of the Bakhmut axis.

"We are moving along the southern flank there. We have already reached many dominant heights, and the enemy is trapped there, because they cannot leave Bakhmut and cannot advance fully in the city itself," said Maliar.

The Deputy Minister of Defense stressed that fierce fighting continues near the settlements of Klishchiyivka, Kurdyumivka and Andriivka. 

According to Maliar, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are advancing in this area and are making progress.

Bakhmut has remained the epicenter of hostilities in eastern Ukraine for many months. Since the end of May, Ukrainian defenders have intensified their offensive on the flanks of Bakhmut.

The Commander of the Land Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, explained earlier that the Armed Forces could take Bakhmut into an operational encirclement. This will make it impossible for the Russian occupiers to stay in the city.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov also said that Russian troops may find themselves in an operational encirclement in the Bakhmut direction.

According to ISW analysts, Ukrainian forces have succeeded on the southern flank of the Bakhmut direction and pushed Russian troops out of the Klishchiyivka area.