Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently visited the city of Zaporizhia, where he met with International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi to discuss the protection of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and its personnel. The plant is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and is just a few kilometers away from the city. Unfortunately, it has been under Russian control for a year, but Zelensky assured everyone that they would secure victory in the area. The president also paid his respects to the military, visited a Russian bombardment site, and spoke with war wounded and medical personnel in the nearby hospital.
Bakhmut, a city in Eastern Ukraine known as the “fortress city,” has suffered immensely since the war started. Most of the inhabitants have left, and many buildings, including the Palace of Culture, the former house of businessman Polyakov, from the 19th century, and the former women’s institute, have been destroyed. The key battles for Bakhmut are being fought by artillery units, with almost the full range of artillery and mortars in action in the area. Despite the continuous Russian attacks, the Ukrainian army continues to resist all attacks.
With more than eighty percent of the city’s homes destroyed by fighting, Bakhmut has become a ghost town. But the Ukrainian people maintain their “Bakhmut Loves Ukraine” attitude, and NATO has not ruled out the possibility of Bakhmut falling, although this would not necessarily change the course of the war. For now, they continue to defend the city and support those who have remained in the area.
