Highlights: The boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Saturday, May 20, the complete capture by his men of the city of Bakhmut. The city "was taken in its entirety," he said in a video posted on Telegram. The battle for the city in Donetsk Oblast is the longest and deadliest of the conflict that began in February 2022. Ukrainian and Russian troops have suffered heavy casualties there, while most of the fighting has been concentrated there for months.

The boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Saturday, May 20, the complete capture by his men of the city of Bakhmut, epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine...

Ukraine: Yevgeny Prigozhin announces the complete capture of Bakhmut by Russian troops

According to the boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the city of Bakhmut was "taken in its entirety" by his men, Saturday, May 20, 2023. AP

Text by: RFI Follow

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The head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Saturday, May 20, the complete capture by his men of the city of Bakhmut, epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine that has lasted since last summer. The city "was taken in its entirety," he said in a video posted on Telegram.

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On May 20, 2023, today, at noon, Bakhmout was taken in its entirety. ": it is with these words that Yevgeny Prigozhin announced the capture of the city in a video broadcast by his press service on Telegram. In the recording, the leader of the paramilitary group Wagner appears alongside armed men in front of ruined buildings.

In conflict with the Kremlin's military hierarchy, which he has criticized several times in recent weeks, Yevgeny Prigozhin adds that "the operation to take Bakhmut lasted 224 days" and that "there was only Wagner here".

The battle for Bakhmut, a devastated city in Donetsk Oblast whose strategic importance is disputed, is the longest and deadliest of the conflict that began in February 2022. Ukrainian and Russian troops have suffered heavy casualties there, while most of the fighting has been concentrated there for months.

« The Russian bureaucracy has put obstacles in our way »

Kiev claimed this week to have recaptured more than twenty square kilometers from Russian forces north and south of the city, while acknowledging an advance by Wagner fighters within the city itself, where only a small pocket of resistance remained in the west.

Always up against the Russian General Staff, Yevgeny Prigozhin took advantage of this new video to issue new criticisms: "We did not only fight with the Ukrainian army in Bakhmut, but also with the Russian bureaucracy that put obstacles in our way." He also sharply scratched again the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of Staff, Valery Gerasimov.

If confirmed, the capture of Bakhmut would allow Moscow to post a victory after several humiliating setbacks.

Ukraine: Yevgeny Prigozhin announces the complete capture of Bakhmut by Russian troops

Ukraine: Yevgeny Prigozhin announces the complete capture of Bakhmut by Russian troops

« The Russian bureaucracy has put obstacles in our way »

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