Russia says it controls eastern Bakhmut

Russian leaders claimed on Wednesday that their forces control eastern Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region that has been under siege for six months.

Russian Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his group has taken full control of the eastern part of the city, The Associated Press and Reuters reported. He said the mercenary group, which has led the Russian offensive into Bakhmut for the last six months, controls all districts east of the Bakhmutka River.

The Russian forces surrounded the city on three sides, leaving only a narrow route leading west that has been targeted by Russian forces, according to the AP. The Institute for the Study of War wrote on Tuesday that Russia has “likely” captured the eastern part of the city, but noted that Russia likely lacks the necessary resources to push past Bakhmut.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised that Ukraine will continue to defend Bakhmut, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview airing Wednesday night that the city is “tactical” for Ukraine. He noted that if Russia took Bakhmut, it would give Moscow’s forces an “open road” to push farther west into the Donetsk region.

Prigozhin has complained of a lack of ammunition from Moscow and has also lost a significant number of soldiers and armor. He warned on Saturday that if his group retreats from Bakhmut, Russia’s whole front line would collapse.

The mercenary group leader has publicly feuded with Russian generals, and is banking his reputation on the outcome of the battle in Bakhmut. He also questioned whether his troops were being “set up” to be scapegoats if Russia loses its war with Ukraine.