According to their boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian Wagner mercenaries have begun to withdraw from the eastern Ukrainian frontline town of Bakhmut. Prigozhin said this in a video on Thursday. The mercenaries are replaced by regular Russian troops. It is unclear whether the city was really completely conquered, as Russia claims.
Wagner boss Prigozhin had recently announced the withdrawal of his mercenaries from the city from May 25 to June 1 after stating that Bakhmut had been completely captured. Ukraine denies that Russian troops have completely taken the city. The fighting was therefore over.
Propaganda victory for Prigozhin
Prigozhin, who is considered the master of disinformation, can at least claim a propaganda victory for himself: according to the American think tank ISW, influential Russian military bloggers see his mercenaries as responsible for the victory. Also because the Wagner boss himself repeatedly spoke of the high losses of his troops. According to Prigozhin, 10,000 recruited prisoners and 10,000 regular Wagner mercenaries were killed in the battle for the city in eastern Ukraine.
According to the ISW, Russian military bloggers mainly talk about the losses in the Battle of Bakhmut, which makes it difficult for the Russian Defense Ministry to profit from the alleged victory. In his feud against the Russian defense minister and other elites, Prigozhin could now intensify his attacks and try to further increase his influence. According to the ISW experts, he is trying to portray himself as a “totalitarian figure” who could win a military victory in Ukraine.
Repelled attacks all night
Meanwhile, Ukraine says it shot down 36 Iranian-made Shahed drones on Thursday evening to repel any Russian airstrikes. “The enemy has deployed 36 shaheds,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, military facilities and critical infrastructure in the west of the country were targeted by the drone strikes. Several drones were also intercepted in the airspace around the capital Kiev, says the head of the military administration of Kiev. It was the twelfth attack on Kiev this month.
According to Russian sources, six drones were also shot down on the Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia. There were “no casualties or injuries,” Moscow governor Sergey Aksyonov told the Telegram online service on Thursday.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
