The government in Kiev has since vehemently denied that allegation. The news site Ukrinform reported on Saturday that General Oleksandr Syrsky has visited Ukrainian troops trying to prevent Bachmut from falling into Russian hands.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that Bachmut will not be defended at all costs. The city is of far less strategic importance than the Kremlin would have the Russian public believe. President Vladimir Putin could use a little success a year after the invasion of Ukraine.