Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the seizure of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine would allow Moscow’s forces to mount further offensive operations
Shoigu also said the West was increasing its arms deliveries to Ukraine, but vowed they would not change the course of events on the battlefield. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group which is leading the battle for the city, said last Friday that his forces had “practically surrounded” Bakhmut.
The heavily industrialised Donbas region of eastern Ukraine comprises Donetsk and Luhansk, which are both claimed by Russia along with two other Ukrainian regions as its own territory.