Russian troops pummel Bakhmut as Putin seeks visible gains in Ukraine

Fifighters work at the site of burning tanks after shelling of an oil depot by Ukrainian forces in Shakhtarsk, Donetsk (AP)

Russian soldiers are slowly edging closer in their attempt to seize the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Troops are pummelling the city with artillery in an attempt to prise it from Ukrainian hands in order to complete Moscow’s goal of capturing the entire Donbas region bordering Russia.