Russia's Wagner Group of mercenaries has announced that they have fully captured the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a claim reaffirmed by Russia's Defence Ministry.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a video posted on the social media platform Telegram, said the city came under complete Russian control at about midday Saturday. Prigozhin, flanked by half a dozen fighters, said: "Today, at 12 noon, Bakhmut was completely taken," Prigozhin said in a video in which he appeared in combat fatigues.
"We completely took the whole city, from house to house," he added in the video that showed ruined buildings in the background and explosions heard in the distance.
He also blamed the "whims" of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. "Five times more guys died than they should have," Prigozhin, said while thanking Putin "that he gave us this chance and great honour to defend our motherland".
"We fought not only with the Ukrainian armed forces in Bakhmut. We fought the Russian bureaucracy, which threw sand in the wheels," Prigozhin said in the video on Saturday.
Russia's defence ministry too issued a statement early on Sunday claiming that the forces of the Wagner private army, with the support of Russian troops, seized the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. "As a result of offensive actions by Wagner assault units, supported by artillery and aviation of the Southern Group of Forces, the liberation of Artyomovsk has been completed," the Russian defence ministry said in a one-line statement.
Bakhmut, also named Artyomovsk after a Bolshevik revolutionary when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, is the regional capital of Donetsk and had a population of 80,000. It was also a resource-rich industrial area known for salt and gypsum mines. It is also famous for its sparkling wine production in underground caves.
Russian President Vladimir Putin too congratulated troops on capturing the city and said those who had distinguished themselves would be given awards, Russian news agencies reported.
Though Ukrainian authorities initially told Reuters that fighting for Bakhmut was continuing. President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy later confirmed Bakhmut's loss. When asked whether Kyiv remained in control of Bakhmut, Zelenskyy said:"I think no."
Zelenskyy said he thought Ukraine had lost the city, but added, "They destroyed everything. For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts," he said. "There is nothing in this place." Zelenskyy was speaking alongside President Joe Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
The eight-month battle for the city in eastern Ukraine is the longest and probably most bloody of the conflict in Ukraine. Both sides reportedly paid a huge price for the city though neither has disclosed casualty numbers.
Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy had earlier stressed the significance of Bakhmut, stating that its fall could allow Russia to rally international support for a deal that might require Kyiv to make unacceptable compromises.
However, war analysts believe though Bakhmut's fall would be a blow to Ukraine and give some tactical advantages to Russia, it is unlikely to be decisive to the war. Russia still has to seize the remaining part of the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control, including several heavily fortified areas.