Holding Bakhmut Is a ‘Military Necessity’, Says Ukrainian General

Ukrainian service members fire a howitzer M119 at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine March 10, 2023. (Reuters)
Ukrainian service members fire a howitzer M119 at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine March 10, 2023. (Reuters)
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Holding Bakhmut Is a ‘Military Necessity’, Says Ukrainian General

Ukrainian service members fire a howitzer M119 at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine March 10, 2023. (Reuters)
Ukrainian service members fire a howitzer M119 at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine March 10, 2023. (Reuters)

Ukraine's ground forces commander said on Monday his troops were continuing to repel heavy Russian attacks on the eastern city of Bakhmut and that defending it was a "military necessity".

Ukraine's military said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi had acted during a visit to the eastern front line to solve "problematic issues that prevent effective execution of combat tasks" and taken "operational decisions aimed at strengthening our capabilities to deter and inflict damage on the enemy."

It gave no details, and did not say when the visit took place, but Syrskyi's comments signaled Ukraine's intention to keep fighting in Bakhmut despite the heavy death toll there.

"The most intense phase of the battle for Bakhmut continues. The situation is constantly difficult. The enemy suffers significant losses in human resources, weapons and military equipment but continues to conduct offensive actions," he said.

Praising Ukrainian forces' resilience in "extremely difficult conditions", he said: "The defense of Bakhmut is due to military necessity.... We are calculating all possible options for the development of events, and will react adequately to the current situation".

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also visited the Bakhmut area last week and handed out medals to troops in a morale-boosting trip as Ukraine prepares for a possible counter-offensive after 13 months of war.

Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhniy said on Saturday the situation was being "stabilized" around Bakhmut.

Moscow sees capturing the city as vital to completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region in eastern Ukraine, one of its main war goals.

Reminiscent of World War One, the battle has been fought from trenches with relentless artillery and rocket strikes across a heavily mined battlefield described as a "meat grinder" by commanders on both sides.



Days of Monsoon Rains and Flash Floods Kill at Least 72 in Pakistan

Children playing in the water after a heavy rain in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Children playing in the water after a heavy rain in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
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Days of Monsoon Rains and Flash Floods Kill at Least 72 in Pakistan

Children playing in the water after a heavy rain in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Children playing in the water after a heavy rain in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Ten days of heavy monsoon rains and flash floods across Pakistan killed at least 72 people and injured more than 130, the National Disaster Management Authority and local officials said Monday.

The fatalities, since June 26, were reported in several provinces: the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eastern Punjab, southern Sindh and southwestern Balochistan provinces, The Associated Press reported.

The National Disaster Management Authority urged local officials to remain on high alert and advised tourists to avoid visiting affected areas, as more rains could block highways and trigger flash floods.

Emergency services have been on maximum alert since last month after 17 tourists from the same family were swept away by the Swat River in the northwest. Four were rescued and the bodies of the other 13 were later recovered. Videos circulating online of the family, stranded on a rooftop and pleading for help, sparked outrage and accusations of slow response by emergency crews.

Authorities have warned they cannot rule out a repeat of extreme weather like the 2022 devastating floods when rains at one point inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people.