While a Ukrainian deputy confirms that “the fighting is continuing and that the city has not fallen to Wagner”, a Russian analyst replies that “the fighting is only taking place in remote areas around the city”. in their commentary to “Sky News Arabia” on the conflicting news.
What happened on Saturday?
The commander of the Russian group “Wagner” (a private company specializing in the training and supply of retired officers and mercenaries in combat zones), Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced full control of Bakhmut, adding that ” the operation lasted 224 days”. Prigozhin confirmed that his fighters will “hand over the city to the Russian army”, saying in a video clip released by his media: “By May 25, we will carry out a full inspection of the city, establish defensive positions and We will hand it over to the military. For our part, we will return to the bases. Bakhmut has witnessed the fiercest fighting since Russia began its military campaign against Ukraine in February 2022, until military leaders call it a “meat grinder”. On the other hand, the spokesman of the Ukrainian army in eastern operations, Serhiy Cherifati, denied the fall of the city, pointing out that the Russian side and Wagner “bring airborne units and motorized rifle units, as well as certain special units”.
The fighting continues
Ukrainian MP Svetislav Yurch denied Wagner’s control of Bakhmut, stressing that “the fighting continues”. He continued sarcastically: “Russia announced control of Bakhmut more than once before, until it became hard to count those times. The Russian army, which is the second largest army in the world, has been unable to control a small town for almost two years. years.” Regarding Wagner’s recent announcement, Jorch emphasized that “the Ukrainian army is still unwavering in its fight to defend the city.” The Ukrainian MP mentioned the statements of her country’s army commanders in this regard , among which the statement of the Deputy Minister of Defense, Ghana Maliar, on “Telegram”, where she said: “The situation is critical. Our defenders control certain industrial facilities and infrastructure in the region. In addition, Ukrainian army spokesman Serhiy Chervaty said, “Our units are fighting in Bakhmut.”
starting point
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense reports in its daily statement on the evolution of the fighting, the news of the announcement of the founder of “Wagner”, that “the Russian forces imposed, on Saturday, their full control over the city of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut)”, according to what was published by the “Russia Today” website.
And the Russian political analyst, Muslim Shaito, confirms that “Wagner has completely taken control of Bakhmut, but there are clashes in the outer suburbs”.
How important is Bakhmut?
Experts question the strategic importance of Bakhmut, which has been fighting for 15 months, during which Russian and Ukrainian forces have suffered heavy casualties.
But Shaito responded by saying that the town “is not the main target, but its importance to Russia is that it is a delivery point for supplies to Ukrainian forces, and it has been well fortified by Russian forces. ‘NATO’.
He adds that “Bakhmut is a starting point for the further liberation of the Donetsk region”.
Donetsk is among 4 Ukrainian regions that Russia annexed to its lands in a referendum in September 2022, while Ukraine confirms these are occupied lands and seeks to liberate them.
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