Bakhmut, around 400 miles south east of Kyiv, has for months been a prime target of Moscow's grinding eastern offensive in the war with Russian forces and private Wagner Group surrounding Ukrainian units. It has now become too dangerous for the last remaining residents to make it out the area by vehicle, with a woman killed and two men badly wounded by shelling as they tried to cross a makeshift bridge yesterday. Putin's forces have been relentlessly attacking the small mining town as part of efforts that would give them a first major victory in more than half a year. But both sides are said to have suffered huge losses during the fighting, with Kyiv officials claim seven Russian soldiers have been killed for every Ukrainian troop who has died in the area.
The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary force warned that Russia's position around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was in peril unless his troops got ammunition, the latest sign of tension between the Kremlin and the private militia chief. Ukrainian military officials and analysts also reported leaders of Russia's 155th Brigade fighting near the town of Vuhledar, south of Bakhmut, were resisting orders to attack after sustaining severe losses in attempts to capture it.
➤ATLANTA'S FUTURE POLICE TRAINING FACILITY 'COP CITY' SET ABLAZE: The site of Atlanta's future Public Safety Training Facility infamously called 'Cop City' by protestors is now on lockdown as smoke and flames were put out, and the area was secured. Police have not released the number of protestors arrested during or after the incident. People have been protesting the planning, and now construction, of the future training facility since it was proposed in June 2021.
➤DEATH TOLL RISES TO 13, TEENAGER HIKERS RESCUED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Almost half a million Americans from Kentucky to Michigan were in the dark Sunday after a massive front dumped heavy snow across much of the nation's northern tier and slammed parts of the South with powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes. At least 13 deaths were reported from the storm, which began by dumping several feet of snow in California's mountains and pushing east. Five deaths were confirmed in Kentucky as wind gusts surpassing 70 mph downed trees and power lines and damaged homes and other buildings, Gov. Andy Beshear said.
