Prigozhin Calls His Ceasefire Statement in Bakhmut a Joke

Prigozhin has referred to his statement about a ceasefire in Bakhmut as a joke. The founder of the "Wagner" private military company announced that a ceasefire is in effect in Bakhmut to allow journalists to leave the area. This was reported by Kommersant.

"Information has been received that Kerber, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 57th Brigade, has taken American journalists to Bakhmut. A decision was made to cease artillery fire so that the American journalists could safely exit Bakhmut and go home," the recording published by Evgeny Prigozhin's press service states.

"We cannot capture Kerber, we decided to laugh. I made a statement... Guys, this is military humor... We have major blockages in propaganda, we have gone mad from propaganda. I think the media should evaluate what they are giving to people. We are constantly trying to at least find something positive instead of mobilizing and understanding that we have huge problems," said Prigozhin.

It is noteworthy that battles for Bakhmut have been ongoing since the summer of 2022. Reports indicate that the city is being attacked by Wagner military fighters and that they control most of it. At the beginning of 2023, according to local authorities, Bakhmut has been destroyed by 60%.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that the capture of Bakhmut would open up opportunities for Russia to attack Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.