According to ISW, Russian armed forces continued to advance towards the city center on Monday.
Think tank experts cite footage of Wagnerian and Russian flags on the ruins of the destroyed Bakhmut administration building as proof of this fact.
In addition, a photo of a “Wagner” mercenary was published on the Internet, in which he is seen in front of the administration building before it was demolished.
As American experts write, representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirm ISW’s conclusions that regular units of the Russian Armed Forces, specifically soldiers of the Airborne Forces, are increasingly operating in Bakhmut together with the Wagnerites.
On Monday night, “Wagner” founder Yevgeniy Prigozhin claimed that the Russian armed forces “legally occupied” Bakhmut.
At the same time, he admitted that Ukrainian soldiers are still in the western part of the city.
Representatives of the Ukrainian side, in turn, pointed out that Prigozhin’s words did not correspond to the truth. They insist that Ukrainian soldiers continue to fight for Bakhmut.
