Footage reportedly from recent fighting in the vicinity of Bakhmut shows Russian Wagner PMC mercenaries pinned down in the open while indirect fire pummels their position. At one point an exposed militant can be seen performing the sign of the cross, knowing he has reached the end of his road.

Bakhmut is a strategically important objective for both sides as it is positioned on the main road linking Sloviansk to Kramatorsk. While the Russian military has been making gains in the Bakhmut region in early October, the area is still not under Russian control.