Zelensky seems to admit loss of Bachmut to Russians: “Today the city is only in our hearts” | Abroad

The city of Bachmut in eastern Ukraine is completely in the hands of Russian troops, according to the Russian defense ministry. “As a result of the offensive actions of Wagner’s assault units, with the support of the artillery guns and aircraft of the southern unit, Artemovsk has been completely liberated,” said the Moscow defense ministry, which uses Bachmut’s Soviet name.

Moscow thus confirms a message from Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his soldiers and the mercenary army on the capture of Bachmut, and promised honors to the soldiers who fought for the capture of the city.

Ukraine declined to confirm on Saturday whether it had lost the battle, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have confirmed the city’s loss on Sunday. When asked if the city is still in Ukrainian hands, he said: “I don’t think so. Today, Bachmut is only in our hearts.” The president is currently in Japan at the G7 summit. Zelensky also said that “little is left of Bachmut”. “It’s a tragedy. They destroyed everything.”

The president’s spokesman later denied that Zelensky claimed Bachmut had fallen into Russian hands, CNN reports. According to the spokesman, the president was asked whether the Russian claims that he took the city were correct. “The president has denied that Bachmut has been taken,” said Sergiy Nykyforov.

Heavy fighting has taken place in recent weeks around Bachmoet, a strategic city where more than 70,000 people once lived. If the city has indeed fallen into Russian hands, the route to the major cities of Slovjansk and Kramatorsk will open for the Russians. That would bring Moscow closer to a complete conquest of the Donetsk region.