(Hiroshima) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that the city of Bakhmout was “not occupied” by Russian troops, the day after Moscow demanded the total capture of this city in eastern Ukraine .
“Bakhmout is not occupied by Russia today,” Zelensky told a press conference on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, without specifying his remarks, which follow initial declarations ambiguous about this city earlier on Sunday.
“Today they are in Bakhmout,” Zelensky added, not clear whether he was referring to Russian soldiers or Ukrainian troops.
“I cannot share with you the tactical opinions of our military. The most difficult thing would be if there was a tactical error in Bakhmout and our men were surrounded,” added the Ukrainian president.
“There are no misunderstandings. I fully understand what is happening in Bakhmout. And we all clearly understand why all this is happening, ”he said again, once again without explaining his words.
The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandre Syrsky, assured Sunday that his troops no longer controlled an “insignificant” part of Bakhmout, but continued to advance on its flanks.
“Although we now control only an insignificant part of Bakhmout, the importance of its defense remains relevant. […] We continue to advance on the flanks in the suburbs of Bakhmout,” he said on Telegram.
Russia claimed on Saturday the complete capture of Bakhmout, a city in eastern Ukraine devastated by the longest and deadliest battle of the war launched in February 2022.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar assured that Kyiv troops still controlled “some industrial facilities and infrastructure” in the city and had “partially surrounded” Bakhmout thanks to a recent breakthrough on the northern and southern flanks. south.
On Saturday, she judged the situation of Ukrainian defenders on the spot to be “critical”.