Ukraine war: Russian tactics on eastern front 'crazy', says

Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian

commanders of "craziness" in their efforts to capture the eastern
town of Bakhmut. The town - which sits in the Donetsk region
and had a pre-war population of 70,000 - has been the centre of
Russian attacks for months.
Despite a looming Ukrainian advance on the key city of Kherson,
Mr Zelensky said the attacks continued in force.
Taking the town would be a symbolic victory for Russia.
The Ukraine President afirms that this is where the craziness of
the Russian command is most evident, day after day, for months,
they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the
highest level of artillery strikes. Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to
Mr Zelensky, said that on one day, Russian forces launched eight
separate attacks on Bakhmut before lunchtime and had been
pushed back on each occasion.
Analysts say the city has little military value in itself, though if it
were to fall, it would bring other cities back within range of
Russian artillery and help change the narrative of a conflict in
which Moscow's forces have been gradually retreating. Despite
the intense attacks, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were
holding their ground and hailed his troops as "heroes". While Mr
Zelensky did not offer a direct update on the advance, he said his
troops were strengthening their positions everywhere at the front,
reducing the capabilities of the occupiers, destroying their
logistics and preparing good news for Ukraine. It is said that no
Russian forces were preparing to withdraw from the city and
predicted that "the heaviest of battles is going to take place for
Kherson".