the Russian army does not confirm any progress in Bakhmout, despite the claims of the Wagner group

What’s going on in Bakhmout? After the claims of the Wagner group claiming to have taken the town hall of this city in eastern Ukraine, the Russian army has not confirmed any progress in this area. During his daily press briefing on Monday April 3, the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, did not report any progress by Russian troops in Bakhmout, not even mentioning the name of the city.

Earlier, in a message broadcast overnight from Sunday to Monday on Telegram, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigojine said his men had raised the Russian flag and the banner of his paramilitary group over the Bakhmout town hall. “In the legal sense, Bakhmout was taken”he assured, adding that the Ukrainian forces were now “concentrated in the western areas”. On several occasions in recent months, the Wagner group has claimed military advances that have not been confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian forces “hold the city”

For its part, the staff of the Ukrainian army affirmed that the Russian attacks were repelled. “The enemy did not stop their assault on Bakhmout. However, the Ukrainian defenders bravely hold the city repelling numerous enemy attacks”he commented on Sunday evening.

A city of some 70,000 inhabitants before the war, Bakhmout has been the scene of particularly violent fighting for months. Russian troops have advanced in recent months north and south of the city, cutting off several Ukrainian supply routes. Ukraine believes that the battle for Bakhmut is essential to contain Russian forces on the entire eastern front.