The fight for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is escalating ahead of the war anniversary. The Russian Defence Ministry claims its forces advanced over 2.5 km in Bakhmut as it launched repeated assaults on the mining city in eastern Ukraine. Russian troops have been pounding areas in Donetsk held by Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countered Russia’s claims and said its forces were maintaining their positions on the frontline. If Russia takes over Bakhmut, it will give its troops an opening to advance further to other strategically important cities in Ukraine’s east.