Ukraine says battle for Bakhmut is ‘stabilizing’

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The top commander of Ukraine’s military said Saturday that his forces are pushing back against Russian troops in the long and grinding battle for the town of Bakhmut. British military intelligence also says Russia appears to be moving to a defensive strategy in eastern Ukraine. The seven-month battle for Bakhmut, where Russian forces have closed in on three sides, is the longest clash of the war, with Russia deploying both regular soldiers and fighters of the mercenary Wagner Group. Russian forces must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of the eastern Donbas region.