War in Ukraine. The horrors of war by Bakhmut

Smoke rises from buildings in this aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Smoke rises from a building in Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Smoke rises from buildings in this aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Smoke rises from buildings in this aerial view of Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Burnt out buildings in Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Kyiv admits that its forces have paid a heavy price defending "Fortress Bakhmut," a city that held around 70,000 people before the Russian invasion.

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

Analysts believe Bakhmut holds little strategic value but has acquired political significance as both sides continue the bloodiest infantry battle since World War II.

It's estimated that thousands of soldiers from both sides have been killed in the so-called Bakhmut "meat grinder." Taking control of the city would allow Moscow to focus its forces on westward Ukrainian garrisons around Chasiv Yar and deeper in the Donetsk region where the industrial cities of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk are located.

Russia's Wagner mercenary group has spearheaded much of the advance into Bakhmut, claiming earlier in April that its forces controlled 80 percent of the city, something refuted by Kyiv.