According to its own statements, the Russian mercenary group Wagner has seized a suburb of the city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, which has been disputed for months.
Wagner’s chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced on Saturday that his fighters had taken “full control” over the village of Yahidne. The mercenary group posted a photo of armed, masked men waving a Wagner flag in front of the Jahidne town sign on the Telegram online service. The village is less than two kilometers from the center of Bakhmut.
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According to Russian news agency Tass, the Wagner Group press service accused Ukrainian troops of having blown up a dam near Bakhmut to stop the advance of Russian fighters. This information initially could not be independently verified.
Bitter battles for Bachmut
Russia has been trying for months to bring Bakhmut under its control. The struggle for the industrial city has brought tensions between the Russian army and the Wagner mercenary group to the forefront, which the Kremlin, however, denies.
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The Battle of Bakhmut is the longest battle in the year-long Russian offensive. According to analysts, the city has little strategic importance – a recipe would therefore have mainly symbolic value for Moscow.
rfi navigation account, time 20 minutes25.02.2023, 20:20| Act: 02/25/2023, 20:20