Ukraine war: Kyiv rejects Wagner’s claim over Bakhmut
Their claim that Russian mercenaries have full control over the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. This claim was immediately denied by Ukrainian officials.
“We took the whole city,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin, posing with some of his Wagner fighters.
The deputy minister of defense for Ukraine denied the claim, but acknowledged that the situation is “critical”.
The Wagner mercenaries are leading the effort to capture the eastern city. They have previously claimed that they had already taken it.
Bakhmut has little strategic value for Russia, which has been trying to capture the city for months.
Ukraine has decided to take a stand as well in this battle, which has been the bloodiest and longest of the war.
Mr. Prigozhin, a close ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leads the Wagner group – nominally a military private company – which has thousands of members.
He has claimed before that his forces have taken Bakhmut – or most of it – only for Ukrainians to swiftly deny the claims. Mr. Prigozhin has also targeted top Russian military officials, criticizing them publicly for not supplying his troops with enough ammunition.
In his latest video claiming control of Bakhmut, Mr. Prigozhin said “One can pedantically reproach us for the fact that at least some piece was not taken”.
Explosions can be heard in the background, suggesting fighting continues close to the city, if not inside it.
He also promised to hand the city over to regular Russian troops later in the month.
His claims were echoed by the Russian defense ministry on Saturday night, state media in Moscow reported.
But in a statement on the messaging platform Telegram moments afterward, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said: “Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical.
“As of now, our defenders control some industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector.”
Western officials estimate between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in Bakhmut, while Ukraine’s military has also paid a heavy price.
There is hardly a building left unscathed, and the city’s entire population has vanished.
The latest Wagner claim came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went to Japan to attend a meeting of the leaders of the world’s most industrialized countries, the G7.
His Western allies pledged more support, including taking a significant step towards providing F-16 fighter jets, and announced more sanctions on Russia.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on 24 February last year and controlled parts of its east.
Ukraine has been expected to launch an offensive to retake seized territories, but Mr. Zelensky recently said that more time is needed to prepare.
He has called Bakhmut “a fortress” of Ukrainian morale.
Ukraine’s hope is that the fight over Bakhmut has blunted Russia’s ability to conduct its own offensive operations, and exhausted its army and supplies.
