Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut, has been captured, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed
Fighters from the Wagner PMC in Artyomovsk, Russia, May 19, 2023. © Sputnik
The Russian troops have completely liberated the strategic Donbass city of Artyomovsk, the scene of a grueling battle for many months, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed in the early hours of Sunday.
The operation in the city known to Ukrainians as Bakhmut was executed by the “offensive actions” of the private military company Wagner Group with artillery and air support from regular Russian forces, the MOD said.
The statement from the MOD came hours after Wagner chief Evgeny Prigozhin announced on social media that his fighters had taken complete control of the city.
Ukraine has denied that the city had fallen to the Russians. Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar claimed that the statements about the capture of Artyomovsk were “premature.”
A salt mining city with a pre-conflict population of 72,000, Artyomovsk has become the stage of a bloody battle for many months as Russian forces nearly encircled it and were methodically pushing the Ukrainian army from its western suburbs. The city itself has been largely destroyed during the fighting.
READ MORE: Key Donbass city captured – Wagner chief
Prigozhin warned earlier this month that his soldiers were taking heavy casualties due to ammunition shortages. He later said that the situation with supplies had improved and that Wagner troops were clearing the last pockets of Ukrainian resistance.
