Zelensky calls the conflict in Ukraine's Donbas "sad and challenging."

(ahram) ⸻ The Donbas is made up of Donetsk and Lugansk, which Russia claims to have annexed despite never fully having controlled it. Ukraine has reported an increasingly difficult situation around Bakhmut, which Russia is determined to seize as part of its wider aim of capturing the entire Donbas. The city, whose symbolic importance outstripped its military significance as the battle dragged on, has been largely reduced to rubble. President Zelensky thanked his troops for their bravery, strength and resilience in the Donbas, saying they "repelled assaults, destroyed the occupier, undermined enemy positions and logistics, and protected our borders and cities."