Fierce battles continue in Bakhmut direction, the Russians continue to attack at the cost of huge losses, our troops hold the borders of Litak (Plane) district in Bakhmut, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has said.

"The enemy cannot win by quality, so he takes quantity. In particular, he increased the presence of troops in Bakhmut direction by several thousand people and is trying to use the advantage in heavy artillery and the number of shells," she said on the Telegram channel on Friday.

As Maliar noted, Russian troops continue to attack at the cost of heavy losses, "which are disproportionately higher than our losses. In the town of Bakhmut, they turn buildings into ashes. They leave only the foundation that cannot be defended." As Maliar said, "our troops are holding the borders of Litak (Plane) district in Bakhmut.

According to her, in the suburbs of Bakhmut today "the pace of advancement of our troops is somewhat reduced. At the same time, the enemy is not able to regain lost positions. Our soldiers repel all attacks of the enemy in this direction," she said.

"The defense of Bakhmut and the suburbs is fulfilling its military tasks: the enemy is being destroyed, the offensive enemy potential is being reduced, time is being won for other planned actions," the Deputy Defense Minister said.