Zelenskyy vows not to retreat from Ukrainian city of Bakhmut

By MSTYSLAV CHERNOV
Associated Press

CHASIV YAR, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president is vowing to hold onto Bakhmut as Russian forces encroach on the devastated eastern city. The Kremlin has sought to capture it for six months at the cost of thousands of lives. Less than a week ago, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian defenders might retreat from Bakhmut and fall back to nearby positions. But Zelenskyy’s chaired a meeting in which the country’s top military brass spoke in favor of continuing the defense and strengthening the Ukrainian positions. He said it was unanimous to keep fighting, to strengthen Ukraine’s forces in Bakhmut.