Ukrainian soldiers near Bakhmut
The Russian-appointed chief of the occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine says he has visited the center of the heavily contested city of Bakhmut.
The Russian-appointed chief of the occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine says he has visited the center of the heavily contested city of Bakhmut. Denis Puschilin published a corresponding video on Monday in the Telegram online service, which is apparently intended to suggest significant Russian territory gains.
The city was “liberated” by fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Puschilin reports in the video, which apparently shows him in a central square in Bakhmut. Destroyed buildings and ruins can be seen in the background, and artillery fire can be heard.
The Battle of Bakhmut is the longest of the more than year-long Russian offensive in Ukraine. The city, which had a population of 70,000 before the start of the war, is largely destroyed and deserted after months of fighting. However, the city in the industrial region of Donbass has now acquired a high symbolic importance for both sides in view of the fighting that has been going on for months and has resulted in heavy losses.
A week ago, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that his mercenaries had captured Bakhmut “in the legal sense.” However, the Russian army did not report such progress. And from Kiev it was said that the Ukrainian armed forces would continue to hold Bakhmut.
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