Wagner Group head claims Ukrainian forces hold positions on outskirts of Bakhmut

‘There is information that there are already observation posts of Armed Forces of Ukraine,’ says Yevgeny Prigozhin

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The head of the paramilitary Wagner Group claimed on Sunday that Ukrainian forces hold positions on the southwestern outskirts of the city of Bakhmut, a major hotspot in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Yes, unfortunately, there is such information … Today, there is information that there are already observation posts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio statement on Telegram.

Prigozhin’s comments came in response to a question about remarks by Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, who claimed in a statement on Telegram a day earlier that the country’s armed forces control the southwestern outskirts of the fiercely contested city.

Russian forces have been trying for months to capture Bakhmut, a transport and logistics hub in the Donetsk region, which is part of the largely Russian-speaking industrialized Donbas region, which last year Russia claimed to have annexed.

On May 20, the Russian Defense Ministry and the Wagner paramilitary group claimed their forces took complete control of the city.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied the claims during a press conference after last month's G-7 summit in Japan.

Kaynak: