The leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner claimed the capture of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, on Sunday night, saying the city’s administrative building is under Moscow’s control. “Legally, Bakhmut has been taken. The enemy is concentrated in the western areas,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said on his Telegram channel.
In the video attached to the publication, it is possible to see Prigozhin raising the Russian flag at the town hall of the Ukrainian city, with an inscription in honor of the blogger Russian soldier Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed in an attack on a café in St Petersburg on Sunday.
Prigozhin had already claimed control of 70% of the city by March 20. Now it claims total power: “This is Wagner’s private force, these are the men who took Bakhmut. Legally, it’s ours.”
The battle for Bakhmut is the longest battle in the Russian offensive in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. While most analysts see little strategic value in the industrial city, both Ukrainians and Russians have invested heavily in this battle. Ukraine says Bakhmut is key to controlling Russian forces all along the eastern front.
Source: DN
