The Russian Armed Forces have encircled Bakhmut (the Russian name of the city is Artemovsk) almost entirely and have taken Avdiivka in a semicircle, Yevhen Dikiy, former commander of Ukraine's Aidar battalion said (extremist group, banned in Russia), RIA Novosti reports.
According to Dikiy, the Russian troops are trying to make Bakhmut-2 out of Avdiivka.
"They switched from the frontal assault tactics to encircle the city from different sides," Dikiy said.
The Russian forces have encircled 4/5 of Bakhmut and a half of Avdiivka, he said.
The Ukrainian forces lose about 100-200 soldiers in battles for Bakhmut. It is believed that Kyiv may decide to leave the defense of the city against the background of such losses.