Ukraine says it repels attacks as Russia tries to retake land near Bakhmut
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Transcript
00:00 Russian missiles hurtling towards Kiev.
00:03 Ukrainian officials say the early morning attack was repelled by the country's air defence
00:08 systems.
00:09 "Three calibre missiles launched from the Black Sea and 16 drones were shot down.
00:14 Shelling continues on an almost daily basis."
00:16 It's the 10th time this month that Russian airstrikes have targeted the capital.
00:24 The continued barrage comes as fierce fighting rages on in the contested city of Bakhmut.
00:31 Ukraine reported it had made territorial gains in the north and south as part of a push to
00:37 encircle the city, but acknowledged that Russian forces continued to pound its supply lines.
00:44 In response, Ukrainian units are targeting Russian drones.
00:48 "Our task is to neutralise their unmanned aerial vehicles so that they see less of our
00:56 movement and our actions.
00:58 And when they go blind, we get the advantage."
01:00 Russia, which sees Bakhmut as the gateway to capturing the rest of the eastern Donbass
01:09 region, has been trying to capture the city since last summer.
01:14 In a message posted to Telegram, the head of Russia's mercenary forces said the battle
01:19 for Bakhmut was not going well.
01:22 "I am officially informing everyone, Bakhmut has not been taken yet.
01:29 There is a district called Samolet.
01:32 It's like an impregnable fortress from a bed of multi-storey buildings in the south-west
01:37 of Bakhmut, where incredibly heavy battles are going on now."
01:43 While both sides battle for control, Ukraine is prepping for a long-awaited counter-offensive
01:51 against Russian forces in the country.