Bakhmut remains a source of tension in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with the head of Ukraine's armed forces describing the situation in the city as "difficult."

However, according to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, intense fighting in Bakhmut significantly impacts Russia's forces.

Bakhmut Death Toll

Sunday evening, Zelensky stated that since March 6, Ukrainian forces have "managed to eliminate almost 1,100 enemy soldiers." According to the most recent post on the Military Media Centre, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated on Monday that "Wagner's assault units are advancing from multiple directions, attempting to break through our troops' defenses and advance to the central districts of the city."

In related news, the Wagner Group has likely lost access to recruiting in Russian jails due to ongoing issues with the Russian military ministry. It may be shifting its recruitment efforts toward free Russian individuals. From the beginning of March 2023, Wagner established outreach teams in sports facilities in at least 40 Russian cities and given career seminars in schools, according to a British Ministry of Defense intelligence update.

According to CNBC, the Biden administration's projected budget request for the fiscal year 2024 sets defense expenditure at $886 billion. The defense budget includes around $1.7 billion to assist Ukraine in rebuilding its vital infrastructure in the wake of Russia's invasion. Also, the budget will fund multiyear contracts for missiles and other weapons to replenish US stocks.

Also included in the federal budget are $63.1 billion for the State Department and USAID. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in a separate statement that the requested financing "would allow us to continue promoting US national interests, leading the world in addressing global issues, and continuing our support for the Ukrainian people."

Ukrainian leaders, who have committed significant resources to defend the city, said their approach intends to tie down Russia's soldiers and prevent Moscow from mounting more offensives in the coming months.

"In less than a week, beginning March 6, we were able to kill almost 1,100 enemy forces in the Bakhmut area alone, an irrevocable defeat for Russia," Zelensky stated in his nightly video message.

Per BBC, he said that 1,500 Russian soldiers were severely injured and unable to continue fighting. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, more than 220 Ukrainian personnel were killed. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, stated that the Russian mercenary Wagner Group was hitting his soldiers from many angles to breach the defenses and march to the center areas of the city.

The paramilitary organization is key to the Russian offensive against Bakhmut. Its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and his private army have placed their reputations on capturing Bakhmut. He stated on Sunday that the city's position was "tough, challenging, and the enemy is battling for every meter."

On Saturday, the Institute for the Study of War, a US research tank, stated that Moscow's attack had stalled. Before the invasion, around 70,000 people lived in Bakhmut, but now just a few thousand remain. Historically, the city was renowned for its salt and gypsum mines and enormous wineries.

Those who stay in the city have a perilous existence, as four people were injured in Bakhmut on Monday, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the regional governor of Donetsk. Ukraine, like Russia, has given Bakhmut political significance; President Zelensky has made the city an image of resistance.

On his December visit to Washington, Zelensky referred to the city as "the bulwark of our morale" and presented the US Congress with a Bakhmut flag. Officials from the West claim that 20,000 and 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in and around Bakhmut.

On Monday, a bill was submitted to the Russian parliament to shift the age range for mandatory military service from 18-27 years to 21-30 years. As a result of the transition phase between the old and new regulations, the conscription age in 2024 and 2025 will cover 10 or 11 years instead of the typical nine, making more males eligible to fight.

The earlier attempt by Moscow to enlist hundreds of fresh soldiers in the Ukrainian war was met with considerable opposition. In September, when the news of a partial military mobilization was made, draft-eligible men formed long lines at border crossings to evade the call to duty.

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Russia-Ukraine War Update

The Kremlin stated that reports of males of combat age fleeing were overblown. In addition to the violence in Bakhmut, seven civilians were injured elsewhere in the Donetsk area on Monday, according to Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

The regional governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai, stated that the Russians had "substantially escalated" firing along the front line. He stated that Russia was sending more and more troops and equipment to the region. According to the regional government, 47 attacks on Ukrainian forces occurred elsewhere in eastern Ukraine.

Throughout its more than year-long invasion, Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of committing "crimes against humanity" by attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure. Russia disputes these allegations.

The International Criminal Court, which launched an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine last year, is set to seek its first warrants against Russian officials with the conflict "in the near future," according to someone familiar with the situation.

The source stated that it was unknown which Russian officials the prosecutor may seek warrants against or when they might be issued, but that they might involve the crime of genocide. Since 2016, when Moscow withdrew its support, Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, stated that the International Criminal Court has no authority over the country.

Russia denies intentionally targeting civilian facilities in Ukraine, claiming that all its operations are meant to diminish Kyiv's fighting capability. It has not obscured a scheme that has moved hundreds of Ukrainian children to Russia. Instead, it has been presented as a humanitarian effort to safeguard orphans and abandoned youngsters in the battle zone.

According to Kyiv, thousands of deported Ukrainian children are being adopted by Russian families, held in Russian camps and orphanages, issued Russian passports, and raised to reject their Ukrainian identity. Many sources said that Chinese President Xi Jinping might visit Russia as early as the following week, despite the ongoing Bakhmut fighting. The Chinese foreign ministry declined to comment on the matter. The Kremlin stated it has no announcements, as per US News.

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