Russia and Ukraine continue to battle for Bakhmut, despite multiple casualties

Russia and Ukraine continue to battle for control of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

Here are the latest updates in the embattled Ukrainian city.

What’s happening in Bakhmut, Ukraine?

Soldiers have been fighting in the area since August, and Russia has been gradually advancing, taking over much of the city. But Ukraine says it’s continuing to fight back and “that Russian losses in Bakhmut are worse than their own,” The New York Times reported.

There has been debate on how strategic it would be for Russia or Ukraine to have control of the city, but Russia is looking for a win after a series of losses, analysts say, per the Times.

The fight to gain ground has been narrow — the founder of the Wagner Group, the paramilitary group controlled by the Kremlin, said the fight in Bakhmut was “difficult, very difficult, with the enemy fighting for each meter,” according to The Associated Press.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 1,100 Russian soldiers had been killed in the last few days, while Russia said more than 220 Ukrainian fighters had been killed during the conflicts, BBC reported.

No outside reports confirm either numbers.

According to The Washington Post, there’s only one viable road into the city now that “almost all roads out of Bakhmut have been cut off by Russian troops and fierce fighting.” Ukraine uses the road to bring in “fresh troops, ammunition and water — and to evacuate the wounded and the dead.”

‘Navalny’ documentary about Russia wins an Oscar

Sunday night, “Navalny” won an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The film is about Alexei Navalny, who voiced opposition against President Vladimir Putin and opposition to Russia’s government tactics. He was poisoned by a banned chemical weapon in 2020 and almost died from the attack. He said the assassination attempt was an order from Putin, per the Post.