The British Defense Ministry said on Friday that Russia had captured the west bank of the Bakhmutka River, threatening a key supply route to Ukraine.
“Russia has made further gains and is now very likely to have advanced into the city centre… Ukraine’s key 0506 supply route to the west of the city is seriously under threat,” the ministry said on Twitter in a regular bulletin. “
Ukraine said on Friday that Russia was focusing all its efforts on capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, where it described the situation as “difficult” but said it was holding out despite Russia’s numerical superiority.
Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Military Command, told Reuters that Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut, understood Russian intentions and Moscow had tactical success in some places, but was paying a high price for it.