Facts

• Russian forces in the Donetsk city of Bakhmut are "losing steam," Ukraine's commander of its armed forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday, pledging that his army will soon launch a counter-offensive to retake ground in the area.^[1]
• The account matched earlier analysis from the UK's defense ministry, which said in an intelligence assessment earlier in the week that "there is a realistic possibility that the Russian assault on the town is losing the limited momentum it had obtained."^[2]
• The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US military think tank, also said earlier in the week that the tempo of Russian operations in Bakhmut appeared to be slowing amid reports that it's relocating some of its forces elsewhere.^[3]
• However, in its latest assessment, the ISW reported that Russian assaults in Bakhmut were continuing and said that it was still making marginal gains, including in positions to the east of the Bakhmutovka River which runs north to south across the middle of the city.^[4]
• Elsewhere, in Donetsk, Russian forces launched a missile strike in the city of Kostiantynivka, reportedly striking a "invincibility center" — a location where Ukrainians can access electricity, heat and water amid widespread blackouts. Five civilians were killed and two more were injured.^[5]
• Meanwhile, appearing before Congress on Thursday, US Sec. of State Antony Blinken suggested that diplomacy should play a role in determining Ukraine's future borders. Responding to whether the US backed Ukraine in seeking to retake Crimea, he stated: "If our commitment and our agreement with Mr Zelensky is we will support you whatever you want to achieve, including no Russian presence at all in Crimea, then we're asking for a world of hurt." He nevertheless stressed that "these have to be Ukrainian decisions."^[6]