Ukraine aims to retake ground by Bakhmut, Russia says it repelled attacks

Ukrainian military officials said on Friday that Kyiv was persistently working to retake land near the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut while Russian forces were pouring in additional troops in a bid to stop Kyiv’s advances.
“The Russians are throwing huge numbers of forces into the Bakhmut area,” Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told national television. “It has been important for us to establish ourselves on dominant heights in these areas.”
Maliar said Ukrainian forces were advancing “slowly but confidently” south of Bakhmut while securing control of positions north of the city. “An extremely fierce battle is going on there.”
Accounts from Moscow said Russian troops had repelled eight Ukrainian attempts to advance in the east and inflicted a defeat near Bakhmut.