The fight for Bakhmut is now the war’s single longest and bloodiest battle. Although the Ukrainians are making small gains, Russia still controls about 90 percent of the largely ruined city.
With the furious battle for the city of Bakhmut raging at their backs, a squad of Ukrainian soldiers tore through an open field, racing to get out of range of falling Russian artillery.
But before they could make it to safety, they said, they got a flat tire.
The three soldiers — known by the call signs Omar, Chip and Bandit — had spent the day on Friday taking part in Ukrainian offensive operations on the edge of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, blasting Russian tanks and armored vehicles. But after surviving another brutal day of battle, they worried that the punctured tire might doom them.
Omar, 36, hopped out of the car and used a screwdriver to put a plug in the hole. Within moments, they were off again.
The men, who recounted their story on Saturday just outside the nearby town of Chasiv Yar, were among the hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers ordered on the offensive around Bakhmut in recent days. The fighting has often been hard, they said, with many Russians willing to die rather than surrender even when surrounded.
But every step forward, they said, was better than a step back.
For nearly a year, Ukraine has been simply trying to hold on in Bakhmut as Russian forces pressed in on the city from both sides while at the same time laying waste — block by bloody block — to what had once been a vibrant salt-mining city of 80,000.
Over time, Bakhmut has taken on an outsize importance: a symbol of Ukrainian defiance and of Russian leaders’ determination to blast their way to a small victory in a little-known corner of eastern Ukraine.
Last week, for the first time, Ukrainian forces launched a series of coordinated counterattacks and in a matter of days won back territory north and south of the city that it had taken Russian forces months to capture. Ukrainian soldiers hope they have now turned the tide in the battle and can continue moving forward.
The State of the War
Peace Prospects: Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive against Russia has overshadowed talk of a potential negotiated settlement in the conflict, but some Western officials say the next phase of the war could create momentum for diplomacy.
German Military Aid: Germany announced a nearly $3 billion military package for Ukraine, its biggest yet and a notable increase after criticism of its contributions. The move is part of an effort by both nations to reset rocky relations.
The Battle for Bakhmut: The fight for the eastern city is now the war’s single longest and bloodiest battle. Although the Ukrainians are making small gains, Russia still controls about 90 percent of the largely ruined city.
“Everything is better when we start kicking these Russians out,” said Omar, who asked to be identified only by his call sign in accordance with military protocol.
But inside Bakhmut, soldiers fighting to hold onto the last few destroyed buildings they control in the western corner of the ruined city said on Saturday that it remained a place of incomprehensible violence.
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Marc Santora is the international news editor based in London, focusing on breaking news events. He was previously the bureau chief for East and Central Europe, based in Warsaw. He has also reported extensively from Iraq and Africa. @MarcSantoraNYT
Tyler Hicks is a senior photographer for The Times. In 2014, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for his coverage of the Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi, Kenya. @TylerHicksPhoto
A version of this article appears in print on May 15, 2023, Section A, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: Ukraine Makes Gains in Suburbs as Relentless Shelling Pummels Bakhmut. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
Ukrainian soldiers west of Bakhmut. Russia and Ukraine have been locked in intense fighting over the city since last fall. Credit...Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
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