Ukraine military aids civilian flight from Bakhmut; is Russia running out of ammo? Live updates
Ukrainian forces were helping civilians flee the battle-scarred eastern city of Bakhmut on Sunday as Russian forces gained a stronghold in suburbs around the city that has been the focus of intense battles for weeks.
The Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War, in its latest assessment, said Russian forces appear to have secured a sufficient positional advantage in Bakhmut to conduct a "turning movement" to force Ukrainian troops to abandon prepared defensive positions. The Russians have not forced the Ukrainian military to withdraw – but may not need to, the assessment says.
The Russian mercenary team Wagner Group has committed its most advanced and prepared elements to assault operations in the area, and Ukraine authorities are not sure the city is worth the cost of defense, the institute says.
"Ukrainian forces are far more likely to withdraw than to become encircled," the assessment said. "Ukrainians might still be able to hold their positions in Bakhmut if they choose to try."
Developments:
►Ukraine's Cabinet ministers approved the State Anti-Corruption Program providing "systemic steps" aimed at providing Ukrainians more government transparency and more opportunities to interact with the state.
►Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with Eastern Military District Commander Col. Gen. Rustam Muradov in western Donetsk Oblast amid extensive Russian losses around Vuhledar.
►As fighting continues in the contested eastern city of Bakhmut, Donetsk province Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said two civilians were killed over the past day.
'PART OF OUR SURVIVAL': In war-torn Ukraine, a first-of-its-kind mental health center aims to heal
Russian shelling destroys homes, casualties increase from missile strikes
Regions across Ukraine were under attack from Russian shelling that left several civilians dead.
In northern Ukraine's Kharkiv province, the region has come under frequent attacks despite the withdrawal of Russian ground forces almost six months ago.
Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Sunday that Russian shelling had destroyed homes and killed one person near the Russian border in the town of Kupiansk. A man and his wife were also killed after a Russian artillery shell hit a car in Burdarky, another Kharkiv province village.
In southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian president's office reported that a woman and two children were killed in the Kherson region.
Ukraine’s emergency services said Sunday that casualties had increased from a Russian missile strike on Thursday. The death toll rose to 13.
Turn in war could indicate Russia running low on munitions
Evidence suggests an increase in close combat in Ukraine, the British Defense Ministry says. The ministry blames the Russian command, saying it continues to insist on offensive action largely consisting of dismounted infantry, and less support from artillery fire because Russia is short of munitions.
Last month the ministry said it was likely that Russia's efforts to capture areas of the Donetsk region held by Ukraine were being hamstrung because of a lack of "munitions and units required for successful offensives."
NATO officials have said Ukraine also faces a shortage in ammunition, and the member nations are developing long-term plans to keep Kyiv's weaponry loaded.
Mental health center aims to heal as 'part of our survival'
A first-of-its-kind mental health center has opened in the eastern city Lviv. As the war crawls into its second year, Dr. Oleh Berezyuk says the center shows how Ukraine is making mental health a big-picture priority in the midst of a deadly conflict the world is watching. About a third of the center's patients have participated in the Ukrainian military, Berezyuk said.
Ukrainians' well-being has become a focal point for Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska who is working with the World Heath Organization to create a mental health and psychosocial roadmap with the input of more than 1,000 experts worldwide to help strengthen her country's mental health system.
"We are doing our jobs. Nothing more, nothing less," Berezyuk said. "We have adapted to war and the challenges that come with it.” Read more here.
– Terry Collins
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine Russia war live updates: Ukraine aids those fleeing Bakhmut
