After the Wagner mercenary group declared Monday evening that they had captured the hotly contested eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut “in a legal sense”, the Ukraine now objected. More than 20 attacks on Bachmut were repelled, fierce fighting continued for the town, it said.
The situation in the region “is still very tense,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar said. Moscow is trying to deploy “not only the Wagner fighters, but also professional paratrooper units”.
In his daily video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also acknowledged the “difficult” situation in Bakhmut. “I am thankful for our fighters fighting near Avdiivka, Maryinka and Bakhmut. Especially Bachmut! It is very difficult there today,” said Zelenskyj.
“Bachmut is ours”
Earlier on Monday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had told the Telegram online service that he had taken Bakhmut “in a legal sense”. According to him, the administrative building of the city was under Russian control. In a video attached to the Telegram post, the Wagner boss can be seen holding a Russian flag with the inscription honoring Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarski, who was killed in a bombing at a St. Petersburg cafe on Sunday.
“The commanders of the units that have taken City Hall and the whole center will put up this flag,” said the Wagner boss. “This is the private military company Wagner, these are the guys who took Bachmut. Legally, it’s ours.” As early as March 20, Prigozhin said his mercenaries controlled “about 70 percent” of Bakhmut, and the goal of the Wagner units was the “complete liberation of the city.”
The situation in the region “is still very tense,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar said. Moscow is trying to deploy “not only the Wagner fighters, but also professional paratrooper units”.
Bitter fight for Bachmut
The Battle of Bakhmut is the longest running of the years long Russian offensive in Ukraine. The city, which had a population of 70,000 before the start of the war, was largely destroyed and abandoned after months of fighting. However, the city in the industrial region of Donbass has now taken on great symbolic significance for both sides given the fighting that has been going on for months and has resulted in heavy casualties.
Source: Krone
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