Ukraine’s Zelensky visits combat zone; Putin praises ‘courage, self-denial’ of his troops

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited an eastern city that is a focus of some of the most intense combat of Russia’s nearly 10-month war, while Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the “courage and self-denial” of his front-line forces in Ukraine.

Zelensky met on Tuesday with military personnel in Bakhmut, the scene of “fierce battles” between Ukraine’s defenders and Russia’s invading forces, the president’s office said. The city, located about 600km (380 miles) east of Kyiv, has remained in Ukrainian hands, thwarting Moscow’s goal of capturing Ukraine’s entire Donbas region.

While the Kremlin tries to advance its stalled invasion and Ukrainians burn their furniture to try to stay warm, Putin hailed his country’s military and security agencies during a Kremlin ceremony. Among others, he presented awards to the Moscow-appointed heads of four regions of Ukraine that Russia illegally annexed in September.

“Our country has often faced challenges and defended its sovereignty,” Putin said. “Now Russia is again facing such challenges. Soldiers, officers and volunteers are showing outstanding examples of courage and self-denial on the front line.”

Russia’s ground invasion, which began on February 24, has lost momentum in recent months. The annexed provinces – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia – remain fiercely contested. Capturing Bakhmut, which is in Donetsk, would sever Ukraine’s supply lines and open a route for Russian forces to press on towards cities that are key Ukrainian strongholds in the province.

Mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a shadowy Russian military company, are reported to be leading the charge in Bakhmut. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia-backed separatists had controlled parts of Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk since 2014. The two provinces together make up the Donbas.