KYIV—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly committed his troops to holding out in Bakhmut after days in which they had seemed likely to withdraw, apparently prolonging the war’s bloodiest battle in a bid to break Moscow’s assault force.
Moscow has sent thousands of troops in waves over recent weeks to try to capture the eastern Ukrainian city. Ukrainian forces have dug trenches further west and in recent days had seemed to be preparing to pull out.
