KYIV: A senior Ukrainian commander said on Monday that Russian troops were using "scorched earth" tactics in the embattled city of Bakhmut and destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery.
Ukrainian forces have hung on for months in Bakhmut, a small city in eastern Donetsk region, where the fiercest fighting of Moscow's full-scale February 2022 war has killed thousands of soldiers and been dubbed the "meat-grinder".
"The enemy switched to so-called scorched earth tactics from Syria. It is destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire," said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces.
But the defence of the city of Bakhmut continued, he said.
Syrskyi, who is overseeing the operation in the east, on Sunday visited front line areas with the fiercest fighting around Bakhmut, Ukraine's Military Media Centre said. "The situation is difficult but controllable," he said.
Ukraine also accused Russia of using "scorched earth" tactics last summer in its assault on Sievierodonetsk, a city in the eastern Luhansk region. Kyiv's forces were forced to withdraw from there in July after a Russian onslaught.
Ukraine has said its defence of Bakhmut is buying time for it to build up and reconstitute forces for a much-vaunted spring offensive and that it is inflicting huge losses on Russian forces trying to seize control.
But Russian forces have gained ground on the flanks of Bakhmut in recent weeks, threatening key supply lines for Kyiv's defenders and have also made advances inside the city.
The capture of Bakhmut would be Moscow's first major gain since it took the similarly-sized cities of Sievierodonetsk and neighbouring settlement Lysychansk.
Syrskyi said Russia was bringing in special forces and airborne assault units to help their attack on the city as members of Russia's private Wagner military group had become "exhausted".
Wagner militia fighters have been spearheading the assault on Bakhmut.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been forced to amend some of its military plans ahead of a much-vaunted counter-offensive due to a leak of classified US documents, CNN reported on Monday citing a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Ukrainian officials said on Friday the allegedly leaked documents contained fictitious information and looked like a Russian disinformation campaign.
US officials are trying to find the source of a leak of classified documents detailing a wide array of topics from Ukraine's air defences to Israel's Mossad spy agency.
Reuters has not independently verified the documents' authenticity.
Asked about the CNN report, presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine's strategic plans remained unchanged but that more specific tactical plans were always subject to change.
"There are strategic tasks - they are unchangeable," he said.
"But operational and tactical scenarios are constantly refined, based on an assessment of the situation on the battlefield, resource provision, intelligence data on the enemy's resources, etc." he said.
"Right now its impossible to reassess plans, because they are only being worked out (now)," he added.
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said: "We are working on our own plans... The opinion of people who have nothing to do with this do not interest us...The circle of people who possess information is extremely restricted." - Agencies
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