Ukraine stands ground in Donbas amid heavy Russian shelling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that his country's forces were standing their ground in the Donbas, as Russian forces reduced the town of Bakhmut to rubble.

In an evening address, the Ukrainian leader said the situation on the front line in the Donbas, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, remained very tough.

"The occupiers have practically destroyed Bakhmut - another Donbas city, which the Russian army turned into burnt ruins. I thank all our heroes, all soldiers, commanders who hold the front in these areas, repel attacks and inflict notable losses on the enemy in response to the hell that has entered Ukraine under the Russian flag.”