Russia has declared the months-long battle for Bakhmut decided and announced the complete capture of the city in eastern Ukraine. The private army Wagner had completely conquered the city with the help of artillery and air support from the Russian armed forces, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced on Sunday night. Earlier, the head of the Wagner mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had already announced the capture of the city, which has been extremely fiercely contested for months and has now been almost completely destroyed.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Bakhmut, on the other hand, is not fully under Russian control. After the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Zelensky said on Sunday: "Bakhmut has not been occupied by Russia today". Zelensky thus clarified ambiguous, ambiguous statements by him about the military situation after a meeting with US President Joe Biden.

Putin expresses congratulations

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin congratulated the Wagner troops and the Russian army on Saturday evening. The Russian armed forces had guaranteed Wagner the necessary protection on the flanks, Putin said, according to his press service. "All outstanding fighters will be honored with state awards."

The battle for Bakhmut is considered the longest and most costly of the Russian war of aggression, which began 15 months ago with the invasion of the neighboring country. At that time, the city still had 70,000 inhabitants, but now it is largely in ruins. Nevertheless, Ukraine did not give up Bakhmut in order to prevent Russian troops from breaking through further inland. President Volodymyr Zelensky had ordered not to abandon the symbolic city.

Ukrainian army speaks of danger to Russians

The U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW), based in Washington, said it was at best a symbolic success of Prigozhin, if his account was correct. Strategically, Bakhmut has no use, and Ukrainian troops are also putting pressure on the northern and southern flanks of the city.

Bakhmut is the main part of the defensive line established after the Russian capture of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk between the cities of Siversk and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Should the city actually fall to the occupiers, the road to the major cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk would open up for the Russian troops. This would bring a complete conquest of the Donetsk region planned by Russia closer.

Prigozhin criticizes the Kremlin

Prigozhin had announced the conquest of Bakhmut on Saturday in uniform and with the Russian flag in his hand. At the same time, he once again criticized the Russian military leadership: "We fought not only with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also with the Russian bureaucracy, which threw sticks between our legs," Prigozhin said in a video.