Ukraine reports unprecedentedly bloody fighting in Bakhmut

Kyiv [Ukraine], April 16: Ukrainian and Russian armed forces are fighting extraordinarily bloody battles in the smashed eastern city of Bakhmut, but pro-Kyiv forces are still holding on, Ukraine's military said.
Russia's defence ministry said earlier in the day that fighters from the Wagner mercenary group had captured two more areas of Bakhmut, the main target of Moscow's offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Wagner has spearheaded Russia's attempt to take Bakhmut since last summer in what has been the longest and deadliest battle of the war for both sides.
"Bloody battles unprecedented in recent decades are taking place in the middle of the city's urban area," said SerhiyCherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command.
"Our soldiers are doing everything in bloody and fierce battles to grind down (the enemy's) combat capability and break its morale. Every day, in every corner of this city, they are successfully doing so," he told the 1+1 television channel.
The Russian defence ministry said Wagner units had taken two areas on the northern and southern outskirts of the city. Russian army paratroop units were supporting the claimed advance by holding back Ukrainian forces on the flanks, it added.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation