{"id":7076,"date":"2023-05-20T17:04:13","date_gmt":"2023-05-20T16:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=7076"},"modified":"2023-05-20T17:09:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T16:09:34","slug":"russian-commander-prigozhin-claims-bakhmut-captured-ukraine-says-fighting-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/diplomatic-world\/russian-commander-prigozhin-claims-bakhmut-captured-ukraine-says-fighting-continues\/2023\/05\/20\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Commander Prigozhin Claims Bakhmut Captured, Ukraine Says Fighting Continues"},"content":{"rendered":"

KYIV<\/span>\u00a0(Reuters)<\/span> –<\/span> Russian<\/span> mercenary<\/span> chief<\/span> Yevgeny<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday<\/span> that<\/span> Wagner<\/span> fighter<\/span> jets<\/span> had<\/span> completed<\/span> the<\/span> occupation<\/span> of<\/span> Bakhmut,<\/span> but<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> dismissed<\/span> the<\/span> claim<\/span> and<\/span> said<\/span> fighting<\/span> was<\/span> still<\/span> going<\/span> on.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Prigogine<\/span> made<\/span> this<\/span> claim<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> video<\/span> in<\/span> which<\/span> he<\/span> appeared<\/span> in<\/span> combat<\/span> uniform<\/span> in<\/span> front<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> line<\/span> of<\/span> fighters<\/span> carrying<\/span> Russian<\/span> and<\/span> Wagner<\/span> flags.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“At<\/span> noon<\/span> today,<\/span> Bakmut<\/span> was<\/span> completely<\/span> trapped,”<\/span> Prigogin<\/span> said.<\/span> “We<\/span> completely<\/span> occupied<\/span> the<\/span> whole<\/span> city<\/span> from<\/span> house<\/span> to<\/span> house.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Ukrainian<\/span> military<\/span> spokesman<\/span> Serhiy<\/span> Cherevati<\/span> told<\/span> Reuters:<\/span>
\n<\/span>“That’s<\/span> not<\/span> true.<\/span> Our<\/span> forces<\/span> are<\/span> fighting<\/span> at<\/span> BaKhamut.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Bakhmut<\/span> was<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> center<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> longest<\/span> and<\/span> bloodiest<\/span> battle<\/span> of<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> war<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span> The<\/span> war<\/span> is<\/span> nearing<\/span> the<\/span> end<\/span> of<\/span> 15<\/span> months.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Distant<\/span> explosions<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> heard<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> background<\/span> as<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> spoke<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> video,<\/span> in<\/span> which<\/span> he<\/span> said<\/span> his<\/span> forces<\/span> would<\/span> withdraw<\/span> from<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> from<\/span> May<\/span> 25<\/span> for<\/span> rest<\/span> and<\/span> retraining,<\/span> handing<\/span> over<\/span> control<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> regular<\/span> Russian<\/span> army.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Prigozhin<\/span> taunted<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> President<\/span> Volodymyr<\/span> Zelenskiy<\/span> and<\/span> U.S.<\/span> President<\/span> Joe<\/span> Biden,<\/span> who<\/span> were<\/span> taking<\/span> part<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> Group<\/span> of<\/span> Seven<\/span> summit<\/span> in<\/span> Japan<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday<\/span> where<\/span> the<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> war<\/span> was<\/span> front<\/span> of<\/span> mind<\/span> for<\/span> world<\/span> leaders.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Addressing<\/span> Zelenskiy,<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> said:<\/span>
\n<\/span>“Today<\/span> when<\/span> you<\/span> see<\/span> Biden,<\/span> kiss<\/span> him<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> top<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> head,<\/span> say<\/span> hi<\/span> to<\/span> him<\/span> from<\/span> me.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Prigozhin<\/span> repeated<\/span> complaints<\/span> he<\/span> has<\/span> frequently<\/span> made<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> past<\/span> that<\/span> his<\/span> forces<\/span> suffered<\/span> far<\/span> heavier<\/span> losses<\/span> than<\/span> necessary<\/span> because<\/span> of<\/span> inadequate<\/span> support<\/span> and<\/span> ammunition<\/span> supplies<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> army.<\/span> Earlier<\/span> this<\/span> month<\/span> he<\/span> had<\/span> threatened<\/span> to<\/span> pull<\/span> his<\/span> troops<\/span> out<\/span> after<\/span> publishing<\/span> a<\/span> furious<\/span> tirade<\/span> against<\/span> Defence<\/span> Minister<\/span> Sergei<\/span> Shoigu<\/span> while<\/span> standing<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> field<\/span> of<\/span> bloodied<\/span> corpses.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Because<\/span> of<\/span> Russian<\/span> bureaucracy<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> “whims”<\/span> of<\/span> Shoigu<\/span> and<\/span> Chief<\/span> of<\/span> Staff<\/span> Valery<\/span> Gerasimov,<\/span> “five<\/span> times<\/span> more<\/span> guys<\/span> died<\/span> than<\/span> they<\/span> should<\/span> have”,<\/span> he<\/span> said<\/span> in<\/span> Saturday’s<\/span> video.<\/span> His<\/span> victory<\/span> declaration<\/span> said<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> forces<\/span> had<\/span> pushed<\/span> back<\/span> some<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> after<\/span> heavy<\/span> fighting<\/span> around<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> last<\/span> week.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Britain’s<\/span> Defense<\/span> Intelligence<\/span> Agency<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> “very<\/span> likely”<\/span> that<\/span> Russia<\/span> had<\/span> deployed<\/span> up<\/span> to<\/span> several<\/span> battalions<\/span> to<\/span> reinforce<\/span> the<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> district,<\/span> following<\/span> Ukraine’s<\/span> tactical<\/span> success<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> flank<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span>.<\/span> It<\/span> was<\/span> an<\/span> “amazing<\/span> effort<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> military<\/span> command,”<\/span> the<\/span> newspaper<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“Russian<\/span> leadership<\/span> will<\/span> likely<\/span> continue<\/span> to<\/span> view<\/span> the<\/span> occupation<\/span> of<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> most<\/span> important<\/span> immediate<\/span> war<\/span> goal<\/span> to<\/span> achieve<\/span> some<\/span> degree<\/span> of<\/span> success<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> conflict,”<\/span> he<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Twitter.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Prigozhin<\/span> himself<\/span> admits<\/span> that<\/span> while<\/span> the<\/span> pre-war<\/span> town<\/span> of<\/span> Bahmut,<\/span> population<\/span> 70,000,<\/span> had<\/span> no<\/span> strategic<\/span> importance,<\/span> the<\/span> intensity<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> fighting<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> scale<\/span> of<\/span> casualties<\/span> had<\/span> acquired<\/span> it<\/span> a<\/span> very<\/span> symbolic<\/span> importance<\/span> for<\/span> both<\/span> sides.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KYIV\u00a0(Reuters) – Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that Wagner fighter jets had completed the occupation of Bakhmut, but Ukraine dismissed the claim and said fighting was still going on. Prigogine made this claim in a video in which he appeared in combat uniform in front of a line of fighters carrying Russian […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[24,26,276,2480,2482],"tags":[4393,4394,4395,4396,4397,1314,4426,1759,4638,1760,4642,1765,5179,1960,5180,3905,5181,4385,5182,4387,5183,4388,5184,4389,4391],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/bkhmt.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7076"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7078,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7076\/revisions\/7078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}