Zelensky praises ‘heroes’ fighting Russia’s ‘army of the dead’

Donbas, in the eastern region of Ukraine, has been impacted by the conflict since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion in February. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the most severe fighting is taking place in Bakhmut, where Ukrainian troops have been fighting their offensive against Russia for months.There is also fierce fighting in Adviivka, just outside the city of Donetsk, which is in one of the so-called disputed territories.In his nightly address on Wednesday evening, Zelensky said: ‘This [area] is where the craziness of the Russian command is most evident’.He added: ‘Day after day, for months, they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes.’Bakhmut has been under attack for months and had a pre-war population of 72,000. Zelensky praised his troops as ‘heroes’ (Image: Getty) Donbas has been the target of attacks since February (Image: Getty)Despite the high concentration of artillery strikes and months of fighting, Russian forces are making little progress to capture the area.Russian troops are being supported by mercenaries from the Wagner paramilitary group and the region is a key area for military strategy as it sits on a major highway which leads to the Ukrainian-held cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.The units of badly trained Russian troops who have low morale have gained the nickname ‘army of the dead’ by Ukrainian military sources.READ MORE:Macron misery as EDF braces for £28billion hit after nuclear shortfall Bakhmut is the scene of the most fierce fighting (Image: Getty) Putin’s troops have low morale and have spoken of being sent to face “hell” (Image: Getty)The name comes from the view that they are seen as suicide units as they are highly likely to die during their missions.The Ukrainian President praised his troops who were holding back the Russians and called them ‘heroes’.The news comes after Russian soldiers revealed in a video that they face poor conditions when they are sent to the frontline.DON’T MISS:Ranting Putin says West aims to ‘wipe Russia off the map’ (REVEAL)’US to unleash space weapons if Putin plays nuclear card’ (INSIGHT)Putin fact-checked after claim West banned Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky (REVEAL) Ukrainian troops in the region have managed to hold back Russian forces (Image: Getty)A video shared online showed the severe drop in morale among Russian troops as one unit spoke of supply, training, and leadership issues.One soldier said in the video that, as a result, he and his fellow troops have been sent to face ‘absolute f****ng hell’.Meanwhile, people have been evacuated from Kherson as the Kremlin-back occupation authorities anticipate an attempt from Ukraine to recapture its territory.