Everything East of the Bakhmutka River is Fully Under Wagner's Control - Prigozhin

Russian forces have completely taken control of the eastern part of Bakhmut (known as Artemivsk in Russian). This was announced today by Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the private military company Wagner, as reported by TASS.

“Wagner's units have captured the entire eastern section of Bakhmut. Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is fully under Wagner's control,” Prigozhin stated, with his remarks published by his press service on a Telegram channel.

It is worth noting that Bakhmut is located in the part of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic that is under Kyiv's control and is a crucial transportation hub for supplying Ukrainian troop groupings in the Donbas.

Earlier, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu stated that battles for Bakhmut continue. He highlighted that capturing the city would enable an offensive behind Ukrainian troops' defenses.