The Russian army announced, Thursday, that it is besieging the Ukrainian forces holed up in the city of Bakhmut, the center of fighting for months in Ukraine, where it appears that the Russian forces are advancing.
However, the head of the Russian Wagner Group, whose fighters are on the front lines in the battle of Bakhmut, estimated, on Thursday, that it was too early to talk regarding a complete encirclement of the city in eastern Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian army continues to bring in reinforcements and transfer them to the city. There are bloody and difficult battles, so it is too early to talk regarding a complete encirclement of Bakhmut,” Yevgeny Prigogin said via Telegram, but he confirmed that 80 percent of the city is under Russian control.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in its daily report, “The Wagner offensive groups continue their intensive military operations to expel the enemy from the central neighborhoods of Bakhmut.”
She added, “The airborne forces support the offensive groups, and prevent the arrival of reserve elements of the Ukrainian army to the city and the possibility of enemy units withdrawing from Bakhmut.”
The city had a population of 70,000 before the conflict, but it became devastated following months of fighting.
Because of the length of the battle and the heavy losses incurred by both sides, Bakhmut became a symbol of the struggle between the Russians and Ukrainians for control of the Donbass region, which is Moscow’s stated goal.
In recent months, Russian forces have advanced north and south of Bakhmut, cutting off many of the Ukrainian supply routes and taking control of its eastern part.