Ukraine prepares for counterattack in Bakhmut.

The battle for Bakhmut, the Ukrainian city which Russia has spent months trying to capture, is "stabilising", says Ukraine's commander in chief. Despite Western officials estimating between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops had been killed or injured in Bakhmut since last summer, Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian troops' "tremendous efforts" were holding back Russia. Military analysts believe Bakhmut has little strategic value, with the city's importance now symbolic. Ukrainian officials have given positive signals about the long battle for Bakhmut, and a Ukrainian counter-attack to the west of Bakhmut is likely to relieve pressure on a supply route to the city.