MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops in Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) need more weapons and munitions to hold the city, Nikita Shandyba, spokesman for the Ukrainian army’s 10th Mountain Assault "Edelweiss" Brigade, said on Monday.

"In general, there are no shortages in our line of defense [in Artyomovsk], but we need more munitions, more weapons. <…> The major issue is munitions," he said in an interview with the Rada television channel when asked what Ukrainian troops in Artyomovsk need to keep the city.

"We have been here for the tenth month in a row without rotation. Rotations are carried out only locally - soldiers can go on R&R just for a few days. <…> It is difficult, the more so given that the weather is quite wet and cold," he said.

Alexander Syrsky, commander of Ukrainian land forces, said on Monday that the situation in Artyomovsk is difficult. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukrainian troops are experiencing major problems in the battle for the city due to a lack of reliable transport and logistics routes.

Artyomovsk is located in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Fierce fighting for control of the city is underway. According to the latest data, Russian forces have blocked or taken control of all paved roads to the city while the nascent spring mud season is complicating the logistics of supplying the Ukrainian army with fresh ammunition and personnel.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Company, said on March 11 that Russian forces were some 1.2 kilometers from the city’s administrative center.