Pro-Russian Wagner forces claim Bakhmut gain as Volodymyr Zelensky lobbies G7
Russia’s mercenary allies have claimed control of Ukraine’s besieged Bakhmut in what may be an attempt to take the shine off Volodymyr Zelensky’s G7 diplomacy.
The head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said his forces had taken full control of Bakhmut on Saturday, following months of brutal combat that has killed and injured thousands and turned the Ukrainian city into a symbol of national resistance.
Ukrainian officials denied Yevgeny Prigozhin’s claim, saying there was still fighting in the southwest corner of the city, a coal-mining hub in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said her forces were still holding out in several industrial and infrastructure sites in the Litak district, describing the situation as critical.
Russia’s Defence Ministry, whose leaders have clashed with Mr Prigozhin over resources, didn’t confirm a takeover. Mr Prigozhin has repeatedly accused Russia’s top brass of withholding ammunition, blaming them for the deaths of many of his men. Mr Prigozhin’s claim of victory was rebroadcast over Russian state news services without commentary.
“Today at midday at noon Bakhmut was fully taken,” Mr Prigozhin declared in a video posted on his group’s Telegram channel in which he stood with a Russian flag in the city’s ruins.
Mr Prigozhin said he would withdraw his forces from Bakhmut to give them a rest, handing control of the city over to Russia’s regular army.
He has threatened on several occasions to leave the city, amid heavy losses to his private military group, only to change his mind after saying he had secured promises of extra arms and ammunition from Russia’s Defence Ministry.
Ukrainian forces have been clinging to a shrinking patch on the western edge of Bakhmut for several weeks, while launching counter-attacks against Russian forces around the city.
If confirmed, the fall of Bakhmut would mark an end to the bloodiest battle of the war. Of the 20,000 Russian soldiers the White House recently estimated to have been killed in Ukraine since December, around half were from the Wagner group, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said earlier this month.
Ukraine doesn’t disclose its own losses but has also suffered heavy casualties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Japan on Saturday to attend the annual meeting of leaders of the Group of Seven nations after the US pledged to support plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 jet fighters.
Shortly after landing at Hiroshima airport, Mr Zelensky tweeted: “Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced co-operation for our victory. Peace will become closer today.”
A major goal for the Ukrainian leader has been to secure more military backing from his allies, particularly the use of advanced jet fighters, ahead of the country’s planned offensive against Russian forces occupying parts of Ukraine.
After arriving at the hotel in Hiroshima where summit events are being held, Mr Zelensky met some G-7 leaders individually, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
President Joe Biden and the summit’s host, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, are scheduled to meet Mr Zelensky on Sunday. G-7 organisers said a previously unscheduled session of the summit meeting on Sunday would focus on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian President also had the chance to address the leaders of India and Brazil, two countries that haven’t backed sanctions against Russia, at a Sunday meeting bringing together the G7 leaders and other invited heads of government.
He met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday for the first time since the start of Russia’s invasion, which New Delhi has pointedly resisted criticising.
The leaders met in Hiroshima, on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
A tweet on Mr Modi’s official account showed him shaking hands with Mr Zelensky, and the pair holding expanded discussions alongside officials from both countries.
The Ukrainian leader earlier held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Mr Sunak, who he also met earlier this month on a tour of European allies to drum up support for a planned spring offensive.
On his Telegram account, Mr Zelensky said he had thanked Mr Sunak “for the UK’s leadership in the international fighter jet coalition”.
Mr Zelensky had been scheduled to participate in the G-7 meeting via video link but asked to attend in person, Japanese officials said. His visit wasn’t formally announced until a few hours before his arrival.
Mr Zelensky travelled from Saudi Arabia on a French government aircraft after calling for stronger support for Ukraine at a meeting of the Arab League in Jeddah on Friday.
His journey to Japan is the longest he has made since Russia started its assault on Kyiv in February 2022. Mr Zelensky visited Washington in December.
Leaders of all the G7 nations — the US, Japan, Germany, France, the UK., Italy and Canada — have visited Kyiv to meet Mr Zelensky.
With AFP
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