Bachmut’s propaganda message
In this photo released by the Prigozhin press service, Yevgeny Prigozhin (centre), head of the military company Wagner Group, speaks with his soldiers holding a Russian national flag.
(Photo: dpa)
Vienna Double questions can lead to confusion: Volodymyr Zelenskiy replied “I don’t think so” on the sidelines of the G7 summit, when a journalist asked him whether Bakhmut was still in Ukrainian hands or whether the Russians had conquered the city. Some media outlets initially interpreted this as confirmation that the eastern Ukrainian city had been taken, which the president’s office later denied. Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated Bakhmut’s capture on Saturday.
However, it is indisputable that the Ukrainians practically withdrew from the entire city area after nearly ten months of fighting. In recent weeks, they’ve only occupied a few skyscrapers on the western outskirts of the city.
On Saturday, it was said in Kiev that they had withdrawn to an industrial zone. For his part, the head of the “Wagner” group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, stated in a video that his paramilitaries had already captured Bakhmut “house by house”.
Bachmut became a symbol of struggle
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