The commander of the Russian paramilitary group “Wagner” expected to capture Bakhmut, the epicenter of the ongoing fighting in eastern Ukraine, in March or April, attributing the slow advance of the Russian forces to the “terrible military bureaucracy”.
“In order to control Bakhmut, all supply routes must be cut off,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said, in videos posted on Wednesday night on Telegram, denouncing the Russian “terrible military bureaucracy” for failing to take control of the city in the Donetsk region before the end of 2022.
The city of Bakhmut, which had a population of 70,000 before the war, was largely destroyed during the continuous fighting for more than six months, leaving heavy human losses on both sides.
Last January, Prigozhin praised the effectiveness of his forces in Ukraine, stressing their “independence” and their submission to “fierce discipline”.
Prigozhin confirmed that his fighters are experienced in combat and “achieve all their goals independently” because they have their own planes, artillery and armored vehicles.
Russian raids continue
Ukrainian officials announced, on Thursday, that Russia bombed Ukraine again with a barrage of 36 cruise missiles and others, and that at least 16 of them were shot down.
The head of the Ukrainian presidential office said that targets were bombed in the north, west and south of the country.
A 79-year-old woman was killed and at least seven others were injured when missiles hit the eastern city of Pavlohrad, according to the provincial governor, Serhiy Lysak.
Maksym Kozitsky, governor of another region in western Ukraine, also said a fire had broken out at a “very important” infrastructure facility in Lviv province, and he did not immediately provide details.
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