Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted his forces must win the battle for Bakhmut in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, as doubts continue over whether Ukraine should spend more manpower and resources on defending the besieged city in Donetsk.
"As always, today I was in touch with our commanders, with intelligence [officers]. It is very hard in the east — very painful," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
"We must destroy the enemy's military power - and we will destroy it," he said, adding that the defense of settlements big and small, such as Bilohorivka and Avdiivka or Bakhmut and Vuhledar, could determine what Ukraine's future looks like.
There are doubts over the merits of defending Bakhmut, a city said to be almost completely surrounded by Russian forces and mercenary units.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said Ukraine was suffering losses among reserves it intended to use in planned counteroffensives against Russian forces, expected in late spring.