President Volodymyr Zelensky denied on Sunday the capture of the devastated city of Bakhmout in the east, claimed the day before by Moscow after a long battle, the boss of Wagner continuing to insist that his men controlled it ” every centimeter”.
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The head of Wagner Evgeny Prigojine, whose men are on the front line in the fighting, then the Russian Ministry of Defense assured on Saturday that they had “totally liberated” Bakhmout, epicenter of the longest and deadliest battle of the war started. in February 2022.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in Japan for a G7 summit during which he gathered diplomatic support and military aid, assured him that the city “is not occupied” by Russian troops, after a series of ambiguous statements on the situation on the spot.
“There is nothing in this place (…) just ruins and a lot of dead Russians”, he launched, seeming to suggest that Bakhmout would be only a Pyrrhic victory for the Russians. He compared the destruction there to that caused by the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.
The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandre Syrsky, told him that his troops no longer controlled an “insignificant” part of Bakhmout, while “continuing to advance” on the flanks north and south of the city.
According to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar, Kyiv forces have “partially surrounded” Bakhmout thanks to their recent breakthrough on these flanks held by Russian regular troops, which according to her makes it “very difficult” the Russian presence in the city.
She again claimed that the Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut itself still control “certain industrial facilities and infrastructure”.
The capture of Bakhmout, already more than 90% conquered by Russian forces in recent months, was claimed at noon on Saturday by Wagner’s boss, Evguéni Prigojine, who assured that he would hand over control of the city to regular troops. Russians on May 25.
Mr Prigojine insisted in a new message on Sunday that the city had been taken “every inch” within its “legal borders”. “There is not a single Ukrainian soldier in Bakhmout,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already congratulated Wagner’s men and the Russian army on Saturday evening for “the completion of the operation (which made it possible to) liberate” Bakhmout and promised to decorate the soldiers who have distinguished themselves. in this battle that has been going on since the summer.
“Hell is in Bakhmout”
If confirmed, the capture of Bakhmout would allow Russia to post victory after a series of humiliating reverses.
It would also intervene before a major counter-offensive that Kyiv says it has been preparing for months, with strong deliveries of Western weapons.
Volodymyr Zelensky, however, admitted this week that Ukraine needed “more time” to implement this counter-offensive aimed at retaking the territories they occupy from the Russians.
After a series of talks with the leaders of the G7 countries, including United States President Joe Biden, he obtained the American promise of new deliveries of ammunition, artillery and armored vehicles, s’ adding to Washington’s green light on Friday to supply the F-16 fighter jets it has long craved.
Moscow and Kyiv suffered heavy losses in Bakhmout, a city of some 70,000 people before the Russian offensive, now largely destroyed by fighting.
This battle was also the scene of an open conflict between Yevgeny Prigojine and the Russian general staff, towards which Wagner’s boss multiplied the insults, accusing him of not providing his men with enough ammunition on purpose to weaken them.
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported on Sunday that it evacuated ten civilians from Bakhmout, including a teenage girl, while the number of residents remaining in the devastated town is unknown, but likely very low.
“The rescue operation was difficult on the road in the middle of mines and under fire from the occupants,” he said. “If hell exists, it is in Bakhmout,” said one of the evacuated residents, quoted by the Ukrainian ministry.
On the diplomatic front, initiatives aimed at promoting peace talks have multiplied, with in particular a European tour of a Chinese emissary received this week in Kyiv and a delegation of six leaders from African countries expected in Russia for June or July.
The Vatican announced on Saturday that Pope Francis had entrusted a peace mission in Ukraine to Matteo Zuppi, cardinal of the Sant’Egidio community known for his work in the service of diplomacy.