FILE - Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday, May 21, 2023 that Russian forces weren't occupying Bakhmut, casting doubt on Moscow's insistence that the eastern Ukrainian city had fallen. The fog of war made it impossible to confirm the situation on the ground in the invasion’s longest battle, and the comments from Ukrainian and Russian officials added confusion to the matter. (AP Photo/Libkos, File)