on Sunday 21 May, 2023
Russia confirms troops have taken full control of Bakhmut
Russian reservists recruited during the partial mobilisation of troops attend a ceremony before departing to the zone of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the Rostov region, Russia October 31, 2022. (Reuters)
Russian troops have taken control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the Russian defense ministry said on Saturday, which if true would mark an end to a ferocious and bloody battle that raged for months.
The head of the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries reported the capture of Bakhmut earlier in the day. Russia refers to the city by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk.
“As a result of offensive actions by Wagner assault units, supported by artillery and aviation of the Southern Group of Forces, the liberation of Artyomovsk has been completed,” the Russian defense ministry said in a statement.
Most read
'They've gone mad', Putin says of Georgia anti-Kremlin protesters
Iran has a direct route to send Russia weapons – and Western powers can do little to stop the shipments
Sudan intercepts smuggled weapons from foreign country in Red Sea province: Military
German civil servants working in education, cultural sectors to leave Russia: Source
Scorching heat wave grips Yemen's Aden amid electricity crisis
