Ukrainian military official says army may withdraw from Bakhmut

"Our military will obviously examine all options. So far they have held the city but will strategically retreat if necessary. Alexander Rodniansky, economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told CNN. "We will not sacrifice all our people in vain."

The Battle of Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast has become a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance as the defenders withstand relentless shelling and waves of Russian troops suffering heavy casualties during the month-long campaign to capture the city.Rodnyansky noted that Russia is using senior subsidiaries of the Wagner Group, a private military company run by a rogue millionaire with long-standing ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, to corner Bakhmut.

The latest drone footage shows the extent of the destruction in the city, with Zelenskyy describing it as "destroyed." Meanwhile, one of Zelenskyy's top advisers, Mykhailo Podoliak, on Wednesday denied that Ukraine had used drones to attack Russian territory, following official Russian claims that Ukraine had attacked infrastructure inside Russia.

"Ukraine does not attack the territory of the Russian Federation. Ukraine is waging a defensive war to withdraw all its territories from occupation," Podoliak tweeted, implying that the attacks on Russian infrastructure were the result of "internal attacks."Ukraine's western allies have discouraged Ukraine from attacking targets inside Russia itself to avoid escalating the conflict, and Podolyak's statement may reflect Kiev's attempt to maintain a level of disapproval in the face of these concerns.

In the past, Ukrainian officials have refrained from admitting responsibility for attacks on Russia, while emphasizing that Ukraine has the right to attack any target on Russian territory in response to an attack.

When asked about Podolak's denial, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "We don't believe it."

Footage of a drone that crashed near the village of Gubastovo, less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow, showed that it was a small Ukrainian model with a range of up to 800 kilometers (almost 500 miles ) but lacked the ability to transport a large charge of explosives.

In the Bryansk region of Russia the local governorAleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post that Russian forces shot down another Ukrainian drone on Tuesday. Officials said the drones caused no injuries or significant damage.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday it prevented a massive drone attack on Crimea. According to Russian state media, six drones were shot down by the air defense forces and four others were disabled by electronic warfare systems. At least nine civilians were killed and 12 others injured nationwide in Ukraine on Tuesday, the Ukrainian President's office said on Wednesday morning.