The “TASS” agency quoted a Kremlin statement that “Putin congratulated the offensive units of Wagner, as well as all the soldiers of the units of the Russian Armed Forces who provided them with the necessary support to carry out the operation of liberation of Artemovsk (Bakhmut)”, the Soviet name for Bakhmut.
And “TASS” quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying in a statement: “Attack teams of the Wagner military group, with the support of artillery and aviation from Battle Group South, have completed the liberation of the city of Artyomovsk.”
“Wagner” chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on Saturday that his forces had taken control of Bakhmut after the longest battle in the ongoing war in Ukraine, but Ukrainian defense officials have denied this.
In a video posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said the city had come under full Russian control around noon on Saturday.
About half a dozen fighters spoke alongside him, with destroyed buildings in the background and explosions heard in the distance.
But after the video clip aired, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said fierce fighting continued.
“The situation is critical… So far our defenders have controlled some of the industrial facilities and infrastructure in this area,” Maliar added.
In turn, Sergey Chervaty, spokesman for the Eastern Command of the Ukrainian army, said that Prigozhin’s assertion “is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut.”
The Ukrainian General Staff also said in a statement on “Facebook” that “the fierce battles for the city of Bakhmut do not stop”.
“This is not the first time that Prigozhin has said that they took over and controlled everything,” said Mykhailo Podolak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He also noted that the Wagner chief’s statement is intended to distract from Zelenskyy’s recent trips abroad, including the G7 summit in Japan on Saturday.
With Russian forces in control of Bakhmut, they would still face the monumental task of capturing the remaining part of the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control, including several heavily fortified areas.
It is unclear who paid a heavy price at the Battle of Bakhmut, as both Russia and Ukraine suffered casualties estimated in the thousands, although neither has revealed the number of casualties.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
