"As a result of the offensive actions of Wagner's assault units, with the support of artillery and aviation from the Southern Unit, the liberation of the city of Artemovsk is complete," the Russian ministry said. de la Défense, using the Soviet name of Bakhmout, on Saturday evening, May 20. According to him, Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine and the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict, would have fallen into the hands of the Russian army.
Asked about this by the press, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan, Volodymyr Zelensky replied ambivalently, then added: "You have to understand that there is nothing (there). Today, Bakhmout is only in our hearts. A little later, the spokesman for the Ukrainian president, Serguiï Nykyforov, wanted to clarify the statements of the latter, assuring on Facebook that he had "denied the capture of Bakhmout". In a press conference, Zelensky later clarified that Russian troops were in Bakhmut but that the city was "not occupied".
For her part, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar said on Telegram: "The advance of our troops in the suburbs on the flanks, which continues, makes it very difficult for the enemy to be present in Bakhmout. . Our troops have partially surrounded the city. »
Russian President Vladimir Putin, following the statement from his Ministry of Defense, congratulated Wagner and the army on "the completion of the operation (which made it possible to) liberate Artemovsk", according to a statement from the Kremlin taken up by Russian news agencies, including Tass.
This claim comes during a surprise visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Hiroshima (Japan) for the G7 summit, where he met his American counterpart Joe Biden. The latter announced the supply of new American weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.
From Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin - in conflict with the military hierarchy in Moscow - pointed out that the capture of the city had taken "224 days" and that there were "only Wagner here", no regular troops from the Russian army. According to him, his group will withdraw from the city from May 25 and leave its defense to the regular army, standing ready after rotation and training for future operations from Moscow.
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.
Moscow and Kyiv suffered heavy casualties in Bakhmout, a city of some 70,000 before the Russian offensive, now largely devastated by fighting. Russian forces made slow progress there while taking nearby locations such as Soledar further north. They controlled Bakhmout in recent weeks to more than 90%, no longer fighting within the city against a last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in its western part.
However, Ukraine this week claimed more than 20 square kilometers from Russian forces north and south of the city, endangering Wagner's flanks, which are held by regular Russian army troops.
Yevgeny Prigojine had regularly complained in recent days of a lack of support from the Russian army, believing that the bureaucracy in Moscow was putting "a spoke in the wheel" of his group and that five times as many men had died in Bakhmout because of the "whims" of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov.
Russia, which launched its troops to attack Ukraine on February 24, 2022, suffered serious setbacks on the front, being forced to withdraw from the vicinity of Kiev, then from the Kharkiv region (northeast ) and the city of Kherson (South). The front was essentially fixed throughout the winter, with most of the fighting taking place in Bakhmout.
The two camps are now awaiting a major counter-offensive announced by the Ukrainian authorities, backed by Western arms deliveries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said his army "needs more time" to prepare for the assault.
Consult our file: War in Ukraine
