Ukrainian soldiers kneel as they await the coffin of Oleksandr Maksymenko to pass by during his funeral in his home-village Kniazhychi, Feb. 13, 2023. Oleksandr, a civilian who was a volunteer in the armed forces of Ukraine, was killed in the fighting in Bakhmut area.
Russia-Ukraine War
Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine reports ‘Difficult’ situation near Bakhmut
Ukraine said Monday that Russian forces were hitting the area north of Bakhmut with “intense shelling and storming actions.”
Bakhmut, located in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, has been the site of months of heavy fighting with Russia pushing to capture the area.
Ukraine’s presidential office said in its daily report that the situation in the village of Paraskoviivka, just north of Bakhmut, was “difficult.”
The Ukrainian military reported Russian artillery and tank attacks against 16 settlements in the Bakhmut area.
The head of the Russian Wagner paramilitary group claimed Sunday to have taken control of one such village, Krasna Hora.
Power cuts
During his nightly video address Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised workers’ efforts to restore power systems damaged by drone and missile attacks by Russia on Friday.
Zelenskyy said most people had not had to face too many outages on Saturday and Sunday.
"The very fact that... after a massive missile strike this week, we can have such peaceful energy days proves the professionalism of our energy workers," he said. "We have to realize: this is not yet a decisive victory on the energy front. Unfortunately, there may be new terrorist attacks from Russia. There may be new restrictions if there is further destruction or growth in consumption."
Zelenskyy said scheduled energy outages would once again be in place when the working week started on Monday. (KB/VOA)