Russia’s Prigozhin claims complete capture of Bakhmut

Ukraine rejects claim

The head of the Russian private army Wagner has said his fighters have completed the capture of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, but Kyiv immediately rejected the claim and said fighting was still going on. Ukraine rejects claim.

Yevgeny Prigozhin made the claim in a video on Saturday in which he appeared in combat fatigues in front of a line of fighters holding Russian flags and Wagner banners.

“Today, at 12 noon, Bakhmut was completely taken,” Prigozhin said. “We completely took the whole city, from house to house.

“The operation to capture Bakhmut – the Bakhmut meat grinder – lasted 224 days,” he said.

But Ukraine on Saturday said it retained some ground control in the eastern city of Bakhmut, with fighting continuing and the situation “critical”.

“Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical,” Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar posted on Telegram. She said Ukrainian troops were “holding the defence” in the city’s “Airplane area”.

“As of now, our defenders control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area.”

Ukrainian military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told the Reuters news agency: “Our units are fighting in Bakhmut.”

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