It would be a strong sign. The boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Evgueni Prigojine, assured on Monday March 20 that his men controlled “about 70%” of the city of Bakhmout, in eastern Ukraine, the scene of heavy fighting since last summer. . “At present, Wagner’s units control about 70% of Bakhmut and continue the offensive for its complete liberation,” Yevgeny Prigozhin assured in a letter addressed to the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, and published by his news service on Telegram.
These statements were unverifiable from an independent source. Yevgeny Prigozhin also said he expected a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces in late March-early April, which he said was intended to “cut off Wagner’s units from the main forces of the Russian army”.
He asked Sergei Shoigu to “take action” to prevent this from happening.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is in open conflict with the Russian military hierarchy, whom he accuses of knowingly not delivering enough ammunition to his men and has publicly attacked Sergei Shoigu on several occasions.
A city of some 70,000 inhabitants before the war, Bakhmout has become, because of the length of the battle and the heavy losses incurred by both sides, the symbol of the struggle between Russians and Ukrainians for control of the industrial region of Donbass .
Russian troops have advanced in recent weeks north and south of the city, cutting off several Ukrainian supply routes and seizing the eastern part of the city. Despite the threat of encirclement and the disputed strategic importance of the city, Ukrainian officials have confirmed their intention to continue to defend it for as long as possible.
Consult our file: War in Ukraine