Oleksandr Marchenko also told the BBC the remaining 4,000 civilians are living in shelters without access to gas, electricity or water. But it may be that Ukrainian commanders are beginning to calculate that the cost of defending Bakhmut - in terms of blood and treasure - is now too great, despite the grievous losses being inflicted on Russian troops. On Friday, President Zelensky stressed that artillery and shells were needed to "stop Russia"