A US think tank says Ukrainian forces are "likely conducting a limited tactical withdrawal in Bakhmut" in the country's east, where they are fighting against Russian troops.

The Institute for the Study of War said in its analysis on Sunday, "Ukrainian forces are unlikely to withdraw from Bakhmut all at once and may pursue a gradual fighting withdrawal to exhaust Russian forces through continued urban warfare."

The institute also said that even if Russian forces capture Bakhmut, they "currently do not have the manpower and equipment necessary to sustain offensive operations at scale for a renewed offensive toward Kramatorsk and Slovyansk."

The British defense ministry said on Monday that "the Russian military has continued to respond to heavy armored vehicle losses by deploying 60-year-old T-62 main battle tanks."

It added that about 800 of them have been taken from storage since last summer. The ministry said those vehicles will "present many vulnerabilities on the modern battlefield."