AS IT HAPPENED Ukrainian forces cling to Bakhmut under severe Russian pressure

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AS IT HAPPENED
Ukrainian forces cling to Bakhmut under severe Russian pressure

Issued on: 04/03/2023 - 09:27
Modified: 04/03/2023 - 10:27

Ukrainian servicemen fire a mortar toward the Russian position on a frontline not far from Bakhmut in Donetsk region on February 20, 2023
Ukrainian servicemen fire a mortar toward the Russian position on a frontline not far from Bakhmut in Donetsk region on February 20, 2023 © Anatolii Stepanov / AFP
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FRANCE 24
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Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Saturday has carried out an inspection of the front line in eastern Ukraine, according to the ministry, as fighting raged around the besieged city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces defending the eastern city are facing increasingly strong pressure from Russian forces, British intelligence said. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog. All times Paris time (GMT+1).

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6:35pm: Mourners commemorate death anniversary of 8 men killed in Bucha
Clutching flowers and wiping away tears, relatives and friends of eight men executed by Russian forces during the occupation of the Ukrainian town of Bucha marked the first anniversary of the deaths.

The eight had set up a roadblock in an attempt to prevent Russian troops from advancing as they swept toward Kyiv at the start of their invasion. But they were captured, Ukrainian authorities say, and executed.

Their bodies lay outside a building on Yablunska Street for a month, with relatives only able to collect them in April after Russian troops pulled out of Bucha.

Relatives gathered for the anniversary commemoration at the building where the bodies of the men were found. Photos of the victims were hung on the wall of the building between two Ukrainian flags. A wreath of red plastic roses and bouquets of blue and yellow flowers lean against the wall beneath the pictures.