Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits combat zone as Vladimir Putin rallies forces

Russia’s ground invasion, which began on February 24, has lost momentum in recent months

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, gives an award to a serviceman in Bakhmut (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday visited an eastern city that is the focus of some of the most intense combat of Russia’s nearly 10-month war, while Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the “courage and self-denial” of his frontline forces in Ukraine.

Mr Zelenskyy met military personnel in Bakhmut, the scene of “fierce battles” between Ukraine’s defenders and Russia’s invading forces, the president’s office said.