The leader of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has pledged to hand over control of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut to the Russian army by June 1st.
Although Prigozhin claimed to have captured Bakhmut on Saturday, Ukrainian officials assert that they still maintain control over parts of the city. Ukrainian forces continue to advance on the outskirts of Bakhmut.
In an audio recording on Telegram, Prigozhin announced that Wagner troops will commence the handover process on Thursday, starting with their departure from Artemovsk between May 25th and June 1st.
Bakhmut, previously known as Artemovsk, holds limited strategic value for Moscow, but its capture would represent a symbolic victory for Russia in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Analysts note that Wagner mercenaries have focused their efforts on the city for months, employing a relentless and costly tactic that gradually weakened Ukrainian resistance.
Discrepancies have emerged between the two sides regarding the status of Bakhmut. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the G7 summit in Japan, affirmed that Bakhmut is not occupied by Russia. In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Wagner after the group claimed to have captured the city.
Prigozhin has staked his reputation and that of his private army on seizing Bakhmut, criticizing Russian military officials for not providing adequate support to his troops. The capture of Bakhmut would bring Russia closer to its objective of controlling the entire Donetsk region, one of the regions annexed by Russia last year.
The battle for Bakhmut has been intense, and the US recently estimated that over 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict, with an additional 80,000 wounded. However, these figures cannot be independently verified by the BBC.
Bakhmut, once known for its salt and gypsum mines and a vast winery, has been devastated by the conflict. Only a few thousand residents remain in the city, which previously had a population of around 70,000.
