Units of private military company Wagner force the Bakhmutka River breaking through to the center of Bakhmut (the Russian name of the city is Artemovsk, The Russian Spring said.
PMC Wagner fighters seek to break through defences of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on different flanks. In the north of the city, the Russian military launched an offensive against the AZOM plant and advance deeper into the city.
In the south, PMC Wagner fighters continue to advance in several directions.
Ukrainian analysts call the situation steadily difficult, the publication said. PMC Wagner intends to expand the northern flank further to the west.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) continue the defence of Bakhmut (the Ukrainian name of the city is Bakhmut) in order to buy time, Alexander Syrsky, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
"We need to buy time to accumulate reserves in order to start the spring counteroffensive, which is just around the corner,” Syrsky said during a trip to Bakhmut.
The battle for the city continues for more than seven months now. On March 11, it became known that the Russian forces cut off the last major supply road for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Bakhmut.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that control of the city would allow the Russian Armed Forces to advance deep into Ukraine. The Minister called Bakhmut an important centre of defence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.