Russia’s attack on the Donbas city of Bakhmut appears to be running out of steam, according to a military analyst.
Putin’s army has been desperately trying to capture Bakhmut for months now.
Since the summer, the city has been subjected to brutal shelling, reducing it to ruins.
Fierce fighting has raged throughout the autumn, with many describing the scenes there as reminiscent of the First World War.
However, Russia’s has only managed to make incremental gains and appears now to be running out of steam.
Mike Martin, a senior fellow at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, said: “Bakhmut seems to be slowly culminating for the Russians.
“They are running out of men and material to be able to continue the fight there
“They might be able to bring up more people and stuff but for now it seems to have paused.”
He added: “Bakhmut is where the Russians have been trying to punch through the Ukrainian lines for months with infantry wave tactics reminiscent of World War 1.
“They’ve made incredibly slow progress at unbelievable cost in men.
“It’s important to the Russians because it fits with their narrative of ‘liberating’ the Donbas.”