Wagner chief claims full control of Ukraine's Bakhmut

MOSCOW (AA) – The head of the Wagner paramilitary group on Saturday said his forces have taken complete control of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian city at the center of recent fighting.

In a video posted on Telegram, Yevgeny Prigozhin said the city was taken in its entirety at around noon (0900GMT).

Prigozhin said the operation, which he called the “Bakhmut meat grinder,” started on Oct. 8 last year and went on for 224 days.

The Russian army was not part of this operation, he said.

Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on Prigozhin’s claims.

Russian forces have been trying for months to capture Bakhmut, a transport and logistics hub in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which is part of the largely Russian-speaking industrialized Donbas region.​​​​​​​