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Russian private army Vagner on Saturday claimed full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the center of the fighting, as Kiev said fighting continued while acknowledging the situation was “critical”.
Wagner’s announcement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended a G7 summit in Japan.
Bakhmut, a once salt-mining town of 70,000 people, is the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Moscow’s more than year-long Ukrainian offensive.
Bakhmut was occupied by Russia, and both Moscow and Kiev are believed to have suffered huge losses, which would allow Moscow to emerge victorious after a series of humiliating defeats.
It would also come ahead of a massive counteroffensive that Kiev has been preparing for months. Zelensky himself has said the fall of the city would open the way for Russian forces to occupy more parts of the Donbass.
Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed in a video posted on Telegram that the city had fallen to his mercenaries, with fighters in the background of the ruins flag of Russia.
“Bahmut was fully occupied today around noon, May 20,” Prigozhin said in the video, adding that Wagner fighters would search the captured city before handing it over to official Russian troops.
“By May 25, we will thoroughly inspect (Bahmut), build the necessary lines of defense and hand them over to the military,” Prigozhin said. “We’ll go into the wild camp ourselves.”
Cannon fire can be heard in the background of Prigozhin’s video.
Ukraine claimed success in and around Bakhmut earlier this month, but said the fight was not over.
“Fierce fighting at Bahmut. The situation is critical,” Deputy Defense Minister Gannar Malial said in a Telegram post.
She said Ukrainian troops were “on guard” in the city’s “aircraft zone”.
“As of now, our defenders control certain industries and infrastructure in the area,” she said.
AFP was unable to verify both claims.
Zelensky’s adviser Mikhailo Podoliak said it was not the first time Prigozhin made such claims, suggesting he may be trying to divert attention from Zelensky’s achievements at the G7 summit in Japan. Attention to diplomatic success.
In any case, he said: “Bahmut will be liberated, just like any other territory in Ukraine.”
Podoliak’s remarks came hours after Zelensky’s surprise appearance at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan – another diplomatic coup a day after he was in Saudi Arabia for the Arab League summit.
Zelensky, who was on a French government plane, met not only with the leaders of the G7, but also with leaders from other major international players, such as non-aligned powers Brazil and India.
His diplomatic efforts have paid off, with the United States announcing on Friday that it would allow Kiev to buy F-16 fighter jets, the most advanced material the West has offered so far.
Meanwhile, Prigozhin continued to fight Russia’s military establishment.
“The operation to capture Bakhmut — the Bakhmut Meat Grinder — lasted 224 days,” said Prigozhin, who was wearing camouflage. He added that Moscow’s losses would have been much smaller were it not for incompetent generals.
Wagner, who spearheaded the battle for Bahemut, is believed to have suffered heavy losses during the months-long siege. Prigozhin has long complained that Wagner was not given the proper amount of ammunition.
“Here (Bachmut) there is only Wagner alone,” he said in the video. “We are here to fight not only the Ukrainian military, but also the Russian bureaucracy.”
He accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of turning the offensive into “their own entertainment”.
“One day they will pay for their actions,” Prigozhin said.
The two camps are now awaiting an announcement of a counteroffensive by Ukrainian authorities, backed by Western arms deliveries. Zelensky recently said his troops needed more time before launching an attack.
The International Criminal Court on Saturday echoed the previous day’s news that Moscow had put its prosecutor Karim Khan on a wanted list for his arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.
The Hague-based tribunal described the move as “unacceptable”, adding: “The court will continue to carry out its lawful mandate to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes.”
The Vatican said on Saturday that Pope Francis had asked Cardinal Matteo Zupi, president of the Italian Conference of Bishops, to lead a peace mission in an attempt to stem the fighting.
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