Russia claims that its troops are already "blocking" Bakhmut and the head of the Wagner group denies it

MADRID, 13 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Russian Ministry of Defense has assured that the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a strategic objective in the Donetsk region, is already "blocked", a version that once again clashes with that of the Wagner group, Yevgeni Prighozin, who has assured that the Ukrainian forces still have room for movement in the area.

Prighozin, whose mercenaries act at the service of the interests of the Kremlin, has already denied on several occasions announcements made by Moscow about the evolution of the military offensive in Ukraine and has even reproached the authorities for the lack of supply.

On this occasion, the discrepancy derives again from the situation of Bakhmut, a town where the Ukrainian Armed Forces still resist despite the fact that the Russians consider it already mostly captured. The Russian Ministry of Defense has assured this Thursday in a statement that the ground forces and areas have managed to "block" the entry of new Ukrainian troops and the possible withdrawal of the "enemy".

According to the Ministry, the assault units of the Wagner group are carrying out "high-intensity combat operations" to finish expelling the Ukrainian forces from the neighborhoods in the center of the town.

"I don't know what is happening in the Canary Islands or in New York, but I do know what is happening in Artemovsk, also known as Bakhmut," Prighozin replied, in a statement released on Telegram by his communication group also this Thursday.

The founder of Wagner has stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to move in this area and "it is too early to talk about the complete encirclement of Bakhmut." Prighozin, who has spoken of "bloody battles", estimates that forces loyal to Russia control about 80 percent of the city.