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According to British intelligence, a Russian mercenary group now controls most of the eastern part of the frontline town. Meanwhile, three civilians were killed by Russian shelling in Kherson area.
Russian forces have made advances in the front-line town of Bakhmut, a key target of Moscow's months-long campaign in eastern Ukraine, with staggering casualties, Britain's Ministry of Defense said in an assessment on Saturday.
In its regular intelligence update, the ministry said units of the Kremlin-backed paramilitary Wagner Group had captured much of eastern Bakhmut, with a river running through the center of the city now marking the front line.
However, the report adds, it will be "extremely challenging" for Wagner's forces to advance, as Ukraine has destroyed key bridges on the river. It said Ukrainian sniper fire from fortified buildings further west had turned a thin strip of open ground in the center into a "killing zone".
At the same time, Ukrainian troops and supply lines in the mining town are "constantly vulnerable to Russian attempts to outflank defenders from the north and south," the ministry said.
In a video posted on the messaging app Telegram, Yevgeny Prigozhin is seen standing on the roof of a high-rise building known as Bakhmut.
"This is the town administration building, this is the center of the town," Pregozin said in the video, pointing to a building in the distance. "It's a kilometer and two hundred meters away."
He also announced that he was seeking to run in next year's presidential election - though not in Russia, as had been tentatively speculated, but "in Ukraine".
Wagner is leading the offensive against cities in eastern Ukraine, which has become the longest and bloodiest battle of Russia's year-long offensive. Both sides have suffered heavy losses around Bakhmut.
