Russia likely planning to encircle Bakhmut town in Donetsk Oblast, Britain says

(RockedBuzz via Reuters) – Russia is likely planning to encircle the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast with tactical advances to the north and south, Britain’s defense ministry said on Saturday.

Capturing the city would have limited operational value, but could potentially allow Russia to threaten Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the ministry added in a daily intelligence update.

“There is a realistic possibility that Bakhmut’s capture has become primarily a symbolic and political goal for Russia,” the ministry said in an update posted on Twitter.

(Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bangalore, Editing by William Maclean)

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman (born Neta-Lee Hershlag;[a] June 9, 1981) is an actress and filmmaker with dual Israeli and American citizenship. Prolific in film since a teenager, she has starred in blockbusters and also played psychologically troubled women in independent films, for which she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.