Multiple social media videos from Bakhmut show intense battles continuing among high-rise apartment buildings on the western edge of the city.
The videos, which are filmed from the Ukrainian side and were published Monday, show strikes among the buildings in a district where fighters of the Wagner private military company have been trying to win ground.
Ukrainian military units acknowledge that inside the city the situation is extremely difficult.
The 5th Assault Brigade said on its Facebook page: “Although we are pushing the enemy back on the flanks, the situation in the city is on the verge of hell because the enemy is using all means. He is "pouring" fire on every house, destroying all of them. So the situation is... Although we have partial successes, the situation is still very difficult.”
Myroshnykov, a Ukrainian military blogger, echoed the assessment, saying “The town itself is a living hell. There is nothing left to defend there, but our soldiers are not leaving and are standing firm!”
The 5th Brigade said that outside the city, it has made gains against Russian forces in recent days and weeks, and had moved forwards by some 2.5 kilometers (about 1.5 miles) over the past couple of months, gradually pushing the Russian front line away from the village of Ivanivske, immediately to the west of Bakhmut.
“Of course, the fighting is very tough, very fierce, and persistent. Every meter of the liberated territory is very difficult to gain,” the Brigade said on Facebook. “We have exhausted them, and now we are actively pushing the front line and taking back the territory meter by meter.”
It also said that supply routes into the part of Bakhmut still held by Ukrainian forces were more stable. “Now all these roads are under our absolute control, both in terms of fire control and physical control. The garrison's supply is stable.”
The Brigade said “regular Russian troops are not ready to fight like Wagner…They have no particular desire to fight.”
There have been contrasting accounts from different Ukrainian units about the performance of regular Russian forces around Bakhmut.
The 5th Brigade added that the Russians retained a huge advantage in the amount of artillery they can use.
“Their goal was to destroy and capture Bakhmut at any cost. They are doing it all. So, unfortunately, not only our frontline is suffering, but all the towns and villages are also suffering.”
Overall, according to multiple accounts and geolocated social media video, Wagner fighters continue to try to take the western parts of Bakhmut city they don’t already control, while Ukrainian units to the west and south of the city appear to be making incremental gains.
Some background: Bakhmut is the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries, that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated. But despite the vast amounts of manpower Russia has poured into capturing the city, they have been unable to take total control, and this week suffered heavy losses in the area.
CNN’s Vasco Cotovio contributed to this post.