Zelensky in Bakhmut. "He risked his life again"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has returned to the front line near Bakhmut, where fighting has raged for months.

The devastated city has long been a focal point of the war as Russian forces try to revive their military campaign in the east.
His visit came as Russian forces launched a series of strikes on Ukrainian cities. At least eight people were killed near Kyiv and in Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine's military said it shot down 16 drones, but another five got through.
Seven people died in an attack on student dormitories near the capital in Rzhyschiv. Then a rocket slammed into a block of flats in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia, leaving one dead and 25 wounded. Local leaders said the number of victims could rise.

While President Zelensky condemned Russia's “bestial” attacks on civilians, he also visited the eastern front line, where Ukrainian forces have held Russia at bay for more than seven months. He last visited the area in December.

Footage released by the President's office showed him in an old industrial warehouse giving medals to battle-weary soldiers. “I am honoured to be here today,” he told servicemen, “in the east of our country, in Donbas, and to award our heroes, to thank you, to shake your hands.”

Zelensky took a risk. He visited the defenders of Bakhmut

The town in eastern Ukraine has been the theater of intense firefights for weeks, and has been under attack since August last year. The Russians want to conquer the city at all costs. According to the British Ministry of National Defense, the American think tank Institute for War Research (ISW) and other experts, Ukraine maintains positions to force the Russians to bleed to death in subsequent failed attacks. Neither side is making any significant territorial gains there. The Ukrainians are holding positions west of the Bachmutka River.

"I am honored to be here today to reward our heroes. To shake hands and thank them for defending our country's sovereignty," the statement said. As it was added, the head of state "listened to reports on the operational situation and the course of combat operations on this section of the front."

Zelensky also met with the Ukrainian military command of the Donetsk region and received a report on the operational situation in the area of ​​responsibility of the Lyman operational-tactical group.
“The president listened to reports on the operational situation and the course of operations on this section of the front,” the law firm reported issues of rebuilding damaged infrastructure, as well as ensuring continuity of water and electricity supplies.