The eastern district of Bakhmut has been claimed by Russia’s Wagner paramilitary organization, following the withdrawal of Ukrainian defenders to positions on the western bank of the river that runs through the city in recent days.

Russia’s current offensive is primarily focused on the small city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, with the goal of capturing additional territory. The Wagner forces have taken the lead in the attack on Bakhmut, pushing Ukrainian troops back inside the city, which has already been heavily damaged. Their strategy is to surround the city and block off its remaining supply routes.

“Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is completely under the control of Wagner,” the mercenary group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in an audio message on his Telegram channel on Wednesday, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Afterwards, Mr. Prigozhin shared a video message in which he stood in front of a World War II monument located in eastern Bakhmut. In the video, he promised that the city’s capture by Wagner would pave the way for additional advances by Russian forces.

According to soldiers, Ukrainian troops had pulled out from the eastern bank of the river in Bakhmut, which accounts for approximately one-third of the city’s territory, earlier this week.

Despite the increasing number of casualties, Ukrainian commanders have not made the decision to completely withdraw from Bakhmut, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Written by staff