General Staff: Russian assault on Bakhmut continues with 'partial success,' Ukraine still holds the city
The Russian military has had "partial success" in its ongoing assault on Bakhmut, but the Ukrainian military still holds the embattled city, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on March 29.
The Ukrainian military was able to repel several Russian attacks in the past day, according to the General Staff.
Multiple officials have speculated on the potential outcome of the battle for Bakhmut, a city in Donetsk Oblast, which has been raging for the past eight months.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on March 8 that Bakhmut could fall "in the coming days," and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on March 6 that Bakhmut held more "symbolic" than "strategic" value.
Both officials expressed their beliefs that the potential fall of Bakhmut would not be a critical turning point in the war.
However, in an interview with CNN on March 7, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of an "open road" through eastern Ukraine if Russia managed to seize control of Bakhmut and that it was critical to continue holding the city.
Asami Terajima
