No place in Bakhmut 'not covered in blood', says Zelensky There are "only a few civilians" left in the eastern frontline town of Bakhmut, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where fierce fighting has raged for months and left it "covered with blood".Sign up to the Front Page newsletter for free: Your essential guide to the day's agenda from The Telegraph - direct to your inbox seven days a week.After five months’ deployment he took a 15-day leave of absence and refused to go back, prompting criminal charges against him, the Meduza news site reported.02:44 PM Russians fighting in Ukraine can freeze sperm for free The Kremlin is hoping to persuade more men to join the army and will also subsidise IVF treatment for soldiers’ families, writes Nataliya Vasilyeva Russian men who are called up to fight in Ukraine will be able to freeze their sperm for free, as the Kremlin moves to persuade more people to join up.Mr Trunov published a written reply from the Health Ministry on Wednesday, saying the government has decided to allocate funds to cover the cost of freezing and storing “biological material of the citizens mobilised to take part in the special military operation” for the next two years."