Serhiy Nikiforov, spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Western media reports that the Ukrainian leader had confirmed the loss of Bakhmut (Artemivsk) were false. This is reported by the publication “Strana”.
On the morning of May 21, Reuters reported that Zelenskyy was asked during a briefing in Hiroshima if the Ukrainian military was in control of Bakhmut, to which he replied, “I don’t think so.”
As Strana clarifies, during a conversation with the Ukrainian president, the journalist asked the following question: “Mr. President, does Bakhmut still remain in the hands of Ukraine? Russia claims to have captured Bakhmut.” In response to the last remark, the head of state said, “I don’t think so,” the newspaper notes. In support of this interpretation, Strana released a video recording of the corresponding dialogue during the briefing.
According to the Ukrainian leader’s press service, the ambiguous interpretation of Zelenskyy’s remarks is due to the fact that media representatives considered the president’s statement as a response to a journalist’s question, and not as a remark ‘followed.
Financial Times correspondent Christopher Miller also questioned the accuracy of the interpretation of Zelenskyy’s statement about Bakhmut’s loss. According to the journalist, the Ukrainian leader’s team believes that the word “no” he said could refer to the second part of the question.
The fact that the Russian military has established full control over Bakhmut was announced on May 20 by the founder of Wagner PMC Evgeny Prigozhin. On the night of May 21, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the capture of the city.
The Ukrainian authorities have not officially confirmed the claims of the Russian side about the transfer of Bakhmut under its control. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said the situation in the city was “critical” and that “heavy fighting” was continuing. Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, said that Prigozhin, with his statement about the capture of Bakhmut, was trying to interrupt the background of the information.
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