The chief of the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization that has acted as the tip of the spear for many of the Kremlin’s most critical military operations in Ukraine, has claimed that his units have “practically surrounded” Bakhmut, a strategically important industrial city in eastern Ukraine.
In a video posted to Telegram on Friday, March 3rd, Yevgeny Prigozhin—the leader of what has been described as the de facto private army of Russian President Vladimir Putin—called on President Volodymyr Zelensky to order a withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk city, saying that his Wagner units maintain control of all road leading to the city but one.
“Give them a chance to leave the city, it is practically surrounded,” he said.
Intense Russian shelling of routes leading west out of Bakhmut, in an attempt to block Ukrainians’ ability to move men, machines, and supplies in and out of the city, was observed days ago by Western journalists.
Bakhmut, once a city of some 70,000 residents which had been known for its salt and gypsum mines as well as Artwinery—a famed, Soviet-era winery with sparkling wines—has been shelled to ruins during Russia’s more than seven-month onslaught. Due to the vast number of losses inflicted on both sides, the city, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, has been repeatedly referred to as “The Bakhmut Meat Grinder.” Last week’s attack was the bloodiest battle to take place in the year-long war.
Over the past several weeks, Russian forces, led by the Wagner Group, have advanced to the north and south of Bakhmut, creating a barrier around the city, cutting off most Ukrainian supply lines, and making the city’s defenders’ ability to hold their position increasingly precarious.
The Ukrainian government has dismissed claims made by Prigozhin, with the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security (CSCIS), which operates under the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, calling his statements “part of a disinformation campaign against the population of Ukraine to spread panic and provoke the top military and political leadership.”
CSCIS also called attention to the fact that Prighozin’s video was filmed on the outskirts of Bakhmut.
“The Russian command avoids visiting the front line, and it is not the first time that Prigozhin has imitated being on the front line while actually being in the rear,” the center added.
While analysts and commentators have debated—and continue to debate—the strategic importance of the city, which lies more than 640 kilometers to the southeast of Kyiv, most agree that the city’s capture would carry strong symbolic and political significance for the Russians.
