The head of the private paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojin, assured this Tuesday that his forces control more than 80% of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after Russian regular troops reinforced the flanks of the partial siege. Ukraine has already denied these allegations.
“We are fully focused on Bakhmut, and today we continue combat missions. Most of it, more than 80%, is under our control, including all administrative centers, factories, city government”he said in a video broadcast on his Telegram account.
Prigojin pointed out that Ukrainian troops still “control part of the residential areas of the city, where buildings have been converted into fortified areas and where there are tunnels under these buildings.”
“We just need to control this part of Bakhmut”said the leader of the private group as he pointed to an area marked on a map as this city in the Donbass region became the epicenter of Russia’s military campaign in eastern Ukraine.
Wagner’s head also pointed out that this advance was only possible “after the Ministry of Defence, including Russian airborne troops”, had taken over the protection of the right and left flanks of the zones occupied by Russian mercenaries.
“Currently they are organizing the defense and are prepared for offensive actions in case of emergency”indicated.
According to Prigojin, neighboring Ukrainian sites hitherto “the target of attacks by Wagner are the responsibility of the Airborne Forces and other defense units”.
Ukrainian forces deny Wagner leader
However, Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces, stated that the Wagner leader’s statement “is not true”.
“I have just been in contact with the commander of one of the brigades defending the city. I can say with confidence that the Ukrainian armed forces control a much larger percentage of Bakhmut’s territory,” said the spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces. In conversation with CNN International
On Monday, the Russian-speaking interim leader of the separatist Donetsk republic, Denis Pushilin, assured that Russian troops controlled “more than 75% of Bakhmut” but admitted that there was violent fighting in the west of the city.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and impose political and economic sanctions on Russia.
Source: DN
