Hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Bakhmut remained “only in our hearts”, it was understood the war-torn country had lost another city to Russia. But, later, it was clarified that Ukrainian troops were still fighting for control of the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Confusion arose when a reporter asked Zelensky about Russia’s recent claim on Bakhmut. In a reply, the Ukrainian president told reporters, “I think not. For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts.” The statement was widely circulated in the international media as “Zelensky confirmed that his forces lost the city to a Russian private army called the Wagner Group”.
However, hours later his press secretary said the leader was answering the second part of the question.
Following this, Zelensky also clarified that Ukrainian military personnel in Bakhmut were “carrying out a very important mission” but declined to share further details. The BBC quoted Zelensky as saying, “The city is not occupied by Russia today. There are not two or three interpretations of those words.”
Putin announces award to Wagner Group
Earlier on Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s private army, said that the city had come under complete Russian control. He spoke among about half a dozen combatants, with ruined buildings in the background and explosions heard in the distance.
Hours later, the Russian military also issued a statement saying that the area was under their control. After this, Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated the soldiers and announced that they would be given state awards. Interestingly, Bakhmut is not a strategic city.
It is located approximately 55 km north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial centre, surrounded by salt and gypsum mines.
But still, fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has been going on for the past eight months—the longest battle for a city in the ongoing war. It is unclear which side paid a higher price in the Battle of Bakhmut. Both Russia and Ukraine are believed to have suffered casualties in the thousands, although neither has disclosed the number of casualties.
ALSO READ: Russian private army Wagner claims control of Bakhmut; Ukraine says ‘claims are not true’