2023-05-20 13:41:41
The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has reported the alleged capture of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which has been fought over for weeks, by Russian forces.
“Today, at 12:00 noon, Bakhmut was completely captured,” Prigozhin said in a video published on Telegram. The head of the mercenary group announced that the city would be handed over to the Russian military. The Wagner forces withdrew from May 25 from the city, so Prigozhin.
Ukraine denied
Ukraine immediately objected. Ukrainian soldiers continued to fight in Bakhmut, the senior staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces responsible for eastern Ukraine said.
In the past few days there had been reports of progress made by the Ukrainian military around Bakhmut. The information from the Ukrainian and Russian sides is difficult to verify.
However, Prigozhin himself said about a week ago that Russian troops had withdrawn from an area near the city. The Ukraine had occupied a rise in front of the city and controlled the main road to Bakhmut, previously held by Wagner mercenaries.
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