Ukraine ‘holding defence in Donetsk’

Ukraine's forces hold defence along the frontline in Donetsk, including the besieged town of Bakhmut, with the fiercest battles raging for the cities of Vuhledar and Maryinka, Kyiv's top military commander said on Saturday.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, said Russia carries out some 50 attacks daily in Donetsk, a region in Ukraine's southeast that Moscow has been trying to occupy fully.

"Fierce fighting continues in the area of Vuhledar and Maryinka," Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in a Telegram message after a call with US General Mark Milley.

"We reliably hold the defence. In some areas of the front, we have managed to regain previously lost positions and gained a foothold."

Zaluzhnyi did not specify where the gains were made. He added that Ukraine continues to hold Bakhmut, tying to "stabilise" the frontline around the town.