Russian Forces Strengthen Positions as Ukraine Braces for New Offensive

KYIV, Ukraine—Russian forces tighten siege around eastern city of Bakhmut on Friday as President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned his country to prepare for an onslaught more than a year since the start of the war.

After months of failed attacks on Bakhmut, all approaches to the city were within range of Russian artillery, officials in the Russian-installed administration claimed. Russian forces are entrenched on the eastern edge of the city and are seeking to encircle it.