Ukraine says Russia still pounding Bakhmut, has failed to capture it

UKRAINE: The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday Russian forces were still attacking the eastern city of Bakhmut, missing a deadline to capture it before the May 9 holiday celebrated in Moscow as Victory Day. A Ukrainian general said on Sunday that Russian forces were hoping to capture Bakhmut before the annual holiday when Russia marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

"The enemy has not taken Bakhmut," Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine's eastern command, said by telephone. "There are no significant changes in positions." Ukraine's military is preparing a widely anticipated counteroffensive to try to recapture Russian-occupied territory in the south and east.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting over Bakhmut for months. Russia sees capturing Bakhmut as a steppingstone to taking other Ukrainian cities.