Putin congratulates Wagner mercenaries and Russian army on ‘liberating’ Bakhmut: Tyrant applauds forces winning victory in besieged city, now completely destroyed
- It is estimated that up to 30,000 Russians were killed or wounded in Bakhmut
- Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his troops were in full control of the city
- The Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine denied the allegation, but acknowledged a “critical” situation
Vladimir Putin has congratulated Russia’s Wagner mercenary group and the national army on “liberating” Bakhmut, despite Ukraine insisting the fighting is not over.
The Russian despot praised Wagner just hours after the force said they were victorious in the eastern Ukrainian city after more than 200 days of fierce fighting and bloodshed, during which both countries had suffered scores of casualties.
A Kremlin statement, quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency, said: “Vladimir Putin congratulated the Wagner assault units, as well as all the soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces units, who provided them with the necessary support and flank cover, on completing the offensive operation to liberate Artemovsk.” (the Soviet-era name for Bakhmut).
The Kremlin chief said that troops who had distinguished themselves should receive awards, Russian news agencies reported.
This comes after Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his forces were in full control of the besieged city in video taken in front of destroyed buildings while explosions could be heard in the distance.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister denied the allegation but admitted the situation was “critical”.
Vladimir Putin (pictured) has congratulated the Russian mercenary group Wagner and the national army on their alleged capture of Bakhmut
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured) claimed in video taken in front of destroyed buildings while explosions could be heard in the distance that his forces were in full control of Bakhmut – which Kiev denies
Wagner mercenaries are fighting to take the Oststadt in the longest and bloodiest war yet and have previously claimed to have conquered it
Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Command, said that Prigozhin’s claim was “not true”. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut (pictured: rockets fired at Russian troops in Bakhmut yesterday)
Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Command, also told the Associated Press news agency that Prigozhin’s claim was “untrue.” “Our units are fighting in Bakhmut,” he added.
Wagner mercenaries are fighting to take the Oststadt in the longest and bloodiest war yet and have previously claimed to have conquered it.
The city, now largely destroyed, is not a strategically important location for Russia, but Ukraine has put great resources into its defense.
According to Western estimates, between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in Bakhmut, while the Ukrainian military also suffered badly.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in its latest intelligence report that Russia’s deployment of “up to several battalions” in the region over the past four days was due to tactical successes by Ukraine on the flanks of the largely devastated city.
The Defense Ministry added: “With Russia likely to maintain relatively few undeployed combat units in Ukraine, the redeployment represents a notable commitment by the Russian command.”
“The Russian leadership is likely to continue to view the capture of Bakhmut as the most important immediate war objective that would allow them to achieve some degree of success in the conflict.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Japan for talks with the leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies.
A shocking before and after from Bakhmut, highlighting the devastation caused by the conflict
Zelensky said on news app Telegram that they also discussed Ukraine’s needs for demining and mobile hospitals in their first face-to-face meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Portal reported.
Kiev is preparing for a major counter-offensive to retake the territories captured by Russia since February last year.
The news in Bakhmut comes after US President Joe Biden approved plans to train Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 jets – a move that could spell the tipping point in the war with Russia.
F-16 training will be conducted using European-owned but US-made F-16s and is expected to begin in the coming weeks.