The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces said in a video posted on Tuesday that Ukraine wanted to inflict heavy casualties on Russian forces trying to capture the small eastern town of Bakhmut.
In a video addressing troops at a large industrial warehouse, General Alexander Syrsky said Russia was focusing on the Bakhmut region after months of fighting.
Moscow views the capture of Bakhmut as critical to its efforts to establish complete control over the Donbass industrial region in eastern Ukraine.
“They don’t stop trying to surround and capture the city,” Sirski said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.