At least six people were killed and 10 others wounded when the Russian military shelled the eastern Ukrainian town of Kostanivka near Bakhmut, the center of hostilities for months, a close aide of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Many buildings were damaged by the shelling of the city in the Donetsk region yesterday morning, said the head of the presidential services Andriy Germak.

According to him, 16 apartment buildings, eight houses, the local tax office, gas pipelines and various vehicles were affected.

Kostaninivka is located 20 kilometers southwest of Bakhmut.

Bahamut has been turned into a field of unceasing battles since the summer.

If Moscow’s forces take the city, analysts point out that it will open the way for them to move towards two other Ukrainian strongholds, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

This will bring them closer to taking over all of Donbas (in other words, eastern Ukraine), which has been the Kremlin’s stated goal since it ordered the invasion of Ukrainian territory in February 2022.

Fighting was raging on several fronts in eastern Ukraine yesterday: in Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka, the Ukrainian general staff said.

Ukrainian armed forces repelled 50 Russian attacks yesterday, according to the headquarters in Kiev.