NATO head warns Russia may seize key fortress city 'in the coming days'

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday warned that Russia was on the brink of capturing the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, a key position that may open the way for Muscovite forces to seize more strategic positions in the region.

"[O]ver the last weeks and months, we have seen fierce fighting in and around Bakhmut, and what we see is that Russia is storming in more troops, more forces and what Russia lacks in quality, they try to make up in quantity," he said, according to The Hill.

"They have suffered big losses, but at the same time, we cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days," he continued.

Stoltenberg suggested that such a conquest would not necessarily signal a shift in momentum toward Russia, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN in an interview set to air Wednesday evening that the fall of Bakhmut would leave an "open road" for Russia to capture key Donbass cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

The city has been under siege for months and both sides have suffered heavy casualties. Russian forces, led by mercenary group PMC Wagner, have attempted to encircle the city, establishing positions to its north and south. The Kremlin on Wednesday claimed control of the city's eastern half.

While seizure of the city may not translate to a substantial military advantage for Russia, a victory there would nonetheless pay a symbolic dividend as both sides have invested considerable resources vying to control the town.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.