Russia-Ukraine War | Russia’s big claim, Defense Ministry said- We have captured Bakhmut city of Ukraine

Pic : nsemgh.com Moscow: Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed in the early hours of Sunday that the country’s private army ‘Wagner’ with the help of Russian troops had stormed Ukraine’s Bakhmut city. ) have taken possession of. The ministry’s statement came on its Telegram channel when Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin made a similar claim eight hours ago. Ukrainian authorities said at the time that the fight for Bakhmut was still ongoing. The eight-month battle for control of this eastern Ukrainian city is the longest and possibly the bloodiest in the war-torn country. In a video posted on Telegram, Wagner chief Prigozhin said that Bakhmut came under full Russian control on Saturday afternoon. The video showed six fighters accompanying Prigozhin and destroyed buildings behind them, while the sound of explosions could be heard in the distance. However, after the video surfaced, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that the fighting was continuing. He had said, “The situation is serious. As of now, our security forces are still in control of some industrial and infrastructure facilities in the region.” Fighting has been going on for more than eight months in and around Bakhmut. If Russian forces capture Bakhmut, they still have the daunting task of taking control of the rest of the Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk region. At the moment it is not clear which side has paid a higher price in the fighting in Bakhumat. Thousands of people are believed to have lost their lives in the city, both in Russia and Ukraine. However, neither side has disclosed the number of dead. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky underlined the importance of defending Bakhmut in an interview with The Associated Press news agency in March. He had said that losing Bakhmut would help Russia garner international support for a deal that could have forced Kiev to accept unacceptable terms. Also read Analysts say a defeat at Bakhmut would be a blow to Ukraine and could give Russia a strategic advantage, but it would not prove decisive in terms of the outcome of the war. Bakhmut is located 55 km north of the Russian-occupied regional capital of Donetsk. The population of the city is estimated to be around 80,000. Bakhmut is considered an important industrial center surrounded by salt and gypsum mines. (agency)