Dispatches From The Front: Ukraine's Forces Make Battlefield Gains In Bakhmut

A Ukrainian soldier looks up from his trench position as a firefight with Russian forces rages on May 11.

Ukraine's military on May 15 hailed the advances around Bakhmut as its first successful counterattack against Russian forces fighting for control of the eastern city.

A Ukrainian soldier advances toward Russian positions amid the shattered landscape.

Kyiv said the situation in Bakhmut continues to be difficult and cautioned that Moscow had not changed its goal of capturing the city and was sending assault troops to Bakhmut's outskirts.

As the sounds of machine-gun fire and explosions rang out, another Ukrainian soldier slowly advanced in a half-crouched position toward the enemy.

An advancing Ukrainian soldier walks past the body of a dead Russian soldier.

For nine months, Moscow's forces have tried to seize the city in the Donbas region, which has become a symbol of Kyiv's steely determination and the Kremlin's military struggle.

A weary Ukrainian soldier rests in a trench. Moments earlier, the assault vehicle (BMP) he was traveling in ran over an anti-tank mine.

Though the BMP was rendered unusable, the soldiers were able to carry on and engage Russian positions.

During the firefight, a Russian soldier was captured. The prisoner said that he had not received food or water for four days during the fighting.

After a firefight with Russian forces, weary soldiers were able to relax for a few moments.

The Ukrainian military said last week that it had started to push Russian forces back in and around Bakhmut after months of heavy fighting, as Moscow acknowledged that its forces had fallen back north of the city.

A Ukrainian soldier sits in silence as he is transported to the front.

"The advance of our troops along the Bakhmut direction is the first success of offensive actions in the defense of Bakhmut," said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, commander of Ukrainian ground forces in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian soldiers load up on ammunition and hand grenades as they prepare for close-quarter combat.

Syrskiy added: "The last few days have shown that we can move forward and destroy the enemy, even in such extremely difficult conditions. We are fighting with fewer resources than the enemy. At the same time, we are able to ruin its plans."

With the sounds of machine-gun fire and explosions ringing out, a Ukrainian soldier slowly advances under the cover of darkness toward Russian positions.