Zelensky Visits Ukraine Army Positions Near Bakhmut

Kyiv, Ukraine, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2023 ) :President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that he visited military positions near the frontline town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle since Russia's invasion.

At least one person was killed meanwhile and more than two dozen injured in a Russian strike on a block of flats in Zaporizhzhia, a city near the frontline, its mayor said.

"Donetsk region. The frontline positions of the Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut area," Zelensky wrote on social media in English.

"I am honoured to be here today to award our heroes. To shake hands and thank them for protecting the sovereignty of our country." Video released by Zelensky's office showed him meeting servicemen in a warehouse and handing out decorations.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have invested heavily in the battle for Bakhmut, even though analysts say the city carries little strategic value.

Kyiv says the battle for the industrial town, which had a pre-war population of around 80,000 people, is key to holding back Russian forces along the entire eastern front.

Zelensky said in a separate post that he had visited Ukrainian troops being treated for injuries, and video showed him touring a hospital with doctors and greeting recovering soldiers.

The Ukrainian leader had visited servicemen inside Bakhmut late last year just ahead of a historic trip to the United States, his first trip abroad since the start of Russia's invasion last February.