Ukraine’s military on May 20, 2023, denied a claim by Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin that his forces had fully captured the city of Bakhmut, NV reported.
Prigozhin’s claim
In a video address, Prigozhin said Wagner had taken complete control of Bakhmut by noon on May 20, including the “last section,” the Litak area of high-rise buildings. He described the 224-day battle as a “meat grinder.”
Ukraine: “This is untrue”
“This is untrue. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Group of Forces, told Reuters.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said heavy fighting was continuing and the situation was critical, but Ukrainian forces were holding defences in the Litak district and still controlled certain industrial and infrastructure facilities and part of the private housing sector.
Maliar also said Ukrainian forces had retaken about 20 square kilometres on the northern and southern outskirts of the city, though their advance on the flanks had slowed, while Russian forces had been unable to regain lost positions.
A symbolic battle
On May 18, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said its forces controlled the south-western part of Bakhmut and had advanced up to a kilometre on the outskirts.
Bakhmut, in Donetsk Oblast, has been the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of the war. Both sides have suffered heavy casualties, and the city has been largely destroyed. Prigozhin has repeatedly clashed with Russia’s military leadership over ammunition supplies during the battle.
Sources
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