Wagner Group Within One Kilometer of Bakhmut Center

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian Wagner Group, revealed in a Telegram video that "his forces are close to the center of Bakhmut, which has been experiencing intense battles for months." He pointed to a building at a distance from where he was standing, saying, "This is the city administration building; this is the city center," and added, "It is 1,200 meters from here." He mentioned that he is "ready to request forgiveness from the senior Russian leaders," but at the same time, he seemed to mock Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, noting that they are "prominent military leaders," adding that "the greatest Russian military leaders, including Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Suvorov, could have learned from them," and continued, "I fully support all their initiatives." Earlier this week, Wagner announced that its fighters have taken control of the eastern part of Bakhmut. The Wagner Group fighters are leading assaults against cities in eastern Ukraine, including Bakhmut, which has seen the longest and bloodiest battle since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with both sides suffering heavy losses in the vicinity of the city. Some military experts have questioned the goal of continuing to fight for this destroyed city, but Ukrainian officials say that "the fall of Bakhmut could lead to further Russian advances in the east." In turn, Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandr Syrski noted that "the fight for Bakhmut helps buy time in preparation for a counteroffensive that is no longer far off."