Fighting in east Ukraine descends into trench warfare as Russia seeks breakthrough

Fighting around the key eastern Ukraine town of Bakhmut has descended into a bloody morass with hundreds of dead and injured reported daily, as neither Russian or Ukrainian forces were able to make a significant breakthrough after months of fighting.

As Russia moved fresh formations to the area in recent weeks, including reinforcements previously in the Kherson region, the fighting in the Bakhmut sector has descended into trench warfare reminiscent of the first world war.

Over the weekend, images emerged of Ukrainian soldiers in flooded, muddy trenches and battlefields dotted with the stumps of trees cut down by withering artillery barrages.

The focus of much of the recent fighting, however, has been the now-shattered town of Bakhmut itself, largely abandoned by its 70,000 residents, with both sides sending reinforcements for a battle that has continued relentlessly since the summer as Moscow has sought to secure a victory after a series of battlefield setbacks and retreats.

Recent video from the town, posted on social media, showed shelled-wrecked buildings, some reduced to rubble.

The fighting around Bakhmut continued as Ukraine warned civilians to prepare for more Russian strikes on Monday, with the possibility of a new round of evacuations from the capital during a relative lull from airstrikes on energy facilities and other key infrastructure in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the west has stepped up preparations to boost humanitarian aid to Ukraine, so that the population can enjoy some warmth during their coldest months and keep the resolve of the nation as high as possible.