Russian troops have increased the intensity of artillery and airstrikes in the Bakhmut area, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar reported on April 17.
"The enemy simply razes the buildings and structures of Bakhmut to the ground," Maliar said on Telegram.
Russia's "unsuccessful" offensive actions continue in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka sectors in eastern Donetsk Oblast, according to the Ukrainian official.
Russian forces reportedly conducted an assault operation in the Kupiansk area in Kharkiv Oblast, but it was also "unsuccessful."
The towns of Bakhmut and Marinka remain "at the epicenter of hostilities," added Maliar. Russia has "re-energized" its nine-month-long assault on Bakhmut as the Russian Defense Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group appeared to have improved cooperation, a Western intelligence report said on April 14.
