Monitoring Desk
KYIV: The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner on Friday said the group had “practically encircled” Bakhmut, a city that has seen the fiercest fighting of Moscow’s invasion.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin warned the West against supplying more arms to Ukraine, as main Kyiv backers, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, were scheduled to meet in Washington.
Ukraine has said it will defend “Bakhmut” for as long as possible; however, this week, officials said the situation was becoming increasingly challenging.
Russia determines to capture Bakhmut city
Russia is determined to seize Bakhmut city — a city once known for its carbonated wine — as part of its broader aim of capturing the entire region of Donetsk.
“Wagner group units have practically surrounded Bakhmut city; only one road remains” to be seized, Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video on Telegram.
The stocky 61-year-old has regularly been posting about the advances of Wagner, his once-shadowy force that has taken center stage in the fight in eastern Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Prigozhin has said that his fighters have captured three villages north of Bakhmut city — Yagidne, Berkhivka, and Paraskoviivka.
