Bakhmut saw continuous violence all into Friday morning.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will not give up on the embattled town of Bakhmut in the country’s east despite Moscow’s soldiers continuing their attack against a town the Ukrainian leader referred to as a “fortress.”
Ukrainian helicopters flew low into Bakhmut over the frozen countryside to the northwest, and smoke could be seen rising from the city center, behind the golden-domed All Saints Church, according to the Agence-France Presse news agency.
There is currently no indication that Ukrainian soldiers are intending to withdraw, according to a volunteer from Belarus fighting for Ukraine within the city.
“For the moment it’s the opposite, the positions are being reinforced where the Russians are trying to cut us off… We’re holding for now,” he told the Reuters news agency.
An attack on a car transporting volunteer paramedics the day before resulted in one death and several injuries, according to a charity helping local inhabitants in the war-torn area.
Following indications that foreign nationals may have been involved, an investigation was underway, but it may take several days to identify the victim, a police official said.
Oleksandr Tkachenko, 65, said when the automobile was struck, he and three other residents sprung into action and were able to remove a wounded woman from the car.
He declared that it was “clear” that the automobile, which was destroyed in the operation, was not a military target.
He went on to say that although the rescue team included civilians rather than troops, they nonetheless came under attack and sustained injuries in a second attack.
“I don’t know how we didn’t get torn apart. I got shrapnel in my leg,” added Tkachenko, limping towards a community centre with the help of a walking stick.
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