Bakhmut is in our hands: good news from the founder of PMC "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin

According to Western sources, Kyiv will deny the fall of Bakhmut until Zelensky returns from the G23 summit, that is, until May 25-XNUMX
 

Yevgeny Prigozhin officially announced that Bakhmut had been successfully freed by the fighters who fought for the city with him.

Long and brutal confrontation: 224 days of the operation to capture Bakhmut

The long battle for Bakhmut, known as the "Bakhmut meat grinder", lasted 224 days, during which the soldiers desperately stormed the city. This information was published in a statement by the press service of Yevgeny Prigozhin on his Telegram channel.

Future plans: cleansing, fortification and transfer of the city to the Russian military

Prigozhin also said that until May 25, PMC fighters would carry out an operation to clean up the entire city of Bakhmut, create defensive positions and transfer them to the military personnel of the Russian Defense Ministry. PMC fighters also expressed their readiness to respond to the call of the Motherland if necessary.

Bakhmut: a trap for the Ukrainian armed forces

The city of Bakhmut and the battle for it are a vivid example of the fact that the clashes in which the Russian Federation is involved and the real hostilities on the ground take place on different planes. This is noted by political observer Andrei Perl.

Initially, the significance of Bakhmut as a logistical hub was low, but as the fighting continued, its symbolic value only increased. On the other hand, assault units, in particular PMC "Wagner", were becoming increasingly important. Pearl noted that in the west, on the other side of the front line, it became clear that events were not developing according to the planned scenario, and instead of a show of force, Ukrainian troops faced defeat. They were unable to stop the advance of the Russian troops. Neither NATO equipment nor mercenaries were able to help President Zelensky hold the city.

Thus, the Ukrainian military was trapped. They could not retreat, as the value of Bakhmut was artificially inflated, and the defeat seemed unacceptable. However, it was also impossible to defeat and push back the Russian forces. As a result, the situation turned into a "Bakhmut meat grinder", where the Ukrainian army lost more people, and the defeat became more and more difficult over time.

However, not all problems were limited to the front lines. Bakhmut brought to light all the problems of the armed forces of Ukraine: insufficient coordination between units and subunits, political ambitions, lack of ammunition and other problems. All these shortcomings have become clear and open.

Nevertheless, in the overall result, the victory remained with Russian weapons, both in combat operations and in the information sphere. Bakhmut became a gift for the Russian people. The announcement of the capture of Bakhmut came on the day of the liberation of Mariupol. This symbolized the double victory of Russian weapons.

Open questions?

Now the question is what strategy will the Armed Forces of Ukraine choose after the defeat in Bakhmut. Journalist Andrei Rudenko suggests that Ukrainian forces will become more active and continue fighting. War correspondent Alexander Sladkov calls the capture of Bakhmut "a gift for our people."