The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski today he visited the Ukrainian forces near the Bakhmut front and awarded medals to the soldiers who, he said, are bravely defending the sovereignty of their country.

Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut have resisted Russian attacks for eight months, despite heavy casualties in one of the bloodiest battles since the Russian invasion began 13 months ago.

Today, Zelensky awarded medals to the exhausted soldiers in combat gear, and he himself wore a dark T-shirt and military camouflage pants.

"It is an honor to be here today and to award medals to our heroes. Let me shake their hand and thank them for defending the sovereignty of our country," Zelenski wrote on Telegram.

"Your fate is difficult but heroic. Let's defend our country and return everything to Ukraine for our children," said Zelensky, adding that he "bows to all the heroes, their close comrades who lost their lives in the East and in general in this war."

He said that "Fortress Bakhmut" is a symbol of defiance, which is why the Russian army is bleeding. This is an allusion to the Battle of Bakhmut in World War I, which was fought in trenches, under constant artillery and rocket fire, on a mine-strewn battlefield, and was described by commanders on both sides as a "meat grinder".

Zelenski has already visited the soldiers on the battlefield several times.