War against Ukraine: Wagner boss reports the start of the withdrawal from Bachmut

war against Ukraine
Wagner boss reports the start of the withdrawal from Bachmut

Yevgeny Prigozhin is the head of the Russian private army Wagner Group. photo

© -/AP/dpa

Wagner boss Prigozhin wants to hand over the conquered city of Bakhmut to the Russian armed forces by June 1st. Kiev confirms that there is an exchange of troops by the enemy around Bakhmut.

According to its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian private army Wagner has begun withdrawing its own troops from the conquered city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. By June 1, the city should be completely handed over to regular Russian forces for control, Prigozhin said in a video released on Thursday.

The Wagner troops would withdraw to their camps for rest and preparation for the next sortie. After a break, they are ready for new combat tasks, said Prigozhin. The Ukrainian side confirmed that the enemy was swapping troops around Bakhmut.

According to Prigozhin, two experienced Wagner fighters are to remain in Bakhmut to support the Russian army. The Wagner boss and the Russian Defense Ministry announced at the weekend that they had taken over the entire city in the Donetsk region, which once had 70,000 inhabitants. Prigozhin also announced withdrawal from May 25. Ukraine denied that the city, which had been contested for months, was completely under Russian control.

Kyiv confirms troop exchange

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar said on Thursday that Wagner troops in the suburbs of Bakhmut would be replaced by regular Russian soldiers. However, Prigozhin’s fighters are still in the city itself. The Ukrainian armed forces themselves are currently controlling the suburbs in the south-west of Bakhmut, Maljar said. The enemy tried to stop the advance of the Kiev troops on the flanks with artillery fire. The Russians are also pulling in additional forces to secure their flanks, she said.

According to Maljar, advances by Russian troops in various directions were repelled and prevented. The actions of the Russians were unsuccessful, she said. Overall, the east of the country remains the “epicenter” of the Russian attacks.

The information provided by the warring parties on the course of the fighting cannot usually be verified directly and independently.

In the evening, Prigozhin also published a video of a prisoner exchange on Thursday on the online service Telegram. The bodies of an American killed in combat and a Turk were also handed over by the Russian side.

dpa

source site-3