The battlefield situation has "escalated again" in the Bakhmut area, with two sides trying to gain the initiative, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on July 3.
Ukrainian forces are advancing on the city's southern flank, near the village of Klishchiivka, said Maliar.
"However, the situation is changing very rapidly. Control over the same positions can be lost and regained twice a day," the official added.
According to Maliar, Russian forces quickly react to Ukraine's actions, setting up "three lines of defense in threatening directions."
Ukrainian troops started offensive operations in the Bakhmut direction around June 24, gradually advancing on the southern and northern flanks.
As Maliar said earlier, Bakhmut has a developed system of engineering fortifications and strongholds, but it's currently occupied by the Russian army, which complicates the city's liberation.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Ukraine's offensive operations near Bakhmut may pressure Russia into making a difficult decision to redeploy its forces from other Ukrainian territories.
Asami Terajima
