Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Russian forces are “not occupying” the besieged metropolis of Bakhmut, casting doubt on Moscow's insistence that the jap Ukrainian metropolis had fallen. Responding to a reporter’s query in regards to the standing of the town on the Group of Seven summit in Japan, Mr Zelensky in contrast the destruction wrought upon the town in jap Ukraine to Hiroshima, which was devastated by an atomic bomb dropped by the US in 1945.

His feedback adopted a video posted on Telegram during which Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin stated the town got here underneath full Russian management at about noon on Saturday. He spoke surrounded by a few half-dozen fighters, with ruined buildings within the background and explosions heard within the distance.

Speaking from Hiroshima, Mr Zelensky stated: “I clearly understand what is taking place in Bakhmut. I cannot share with you the tactical views of our military, of our warriors.

“But as of today we see that the country which is dozens times bigger than we are, cannot occupy us, cannot win in this war. Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today.”

Mr Zelensky’s response in English to a query earlier on the summit in regards to the standing of Bakhmut advised that he believed the town had fallen to Russian forces, and he supplied solemn phrases about its destiny.

When requested if the town was in Ukraine’s arms, he stated: “I think no, but you have to — to understand that there is nothing, They’ve destroyed everything. There are no buildings. It’s a pity. It's a tragedy.

“But, for today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing on this place, so — just ground and — and a lot of dead Russians,” he stated.

Ukrainian defence and navy officers stated that fierce preventing was ongoing. Deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar even went as far as to say that Ukrainian troops “took the city in a semi-encirclement.”

“The enemy failed to surround Bakhmut, and they lost part of the dominant heights around the city,” Malyar stated.

“That is, the advance of our troops in the suburbs along the flanks, which is still ongoing, greatly complicates the enemy’s presence in Bakhmut.”

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It is not clear which aspect has paid a better worth within the battle for Bakhmut. Both Russia and Ukraine have endured losses believed to be within the hundreds, although neither has disclosed casualty numbers.

Analysts have stated Bakhmut’s fall can be a blow to Ukraine and provides some tactical benefits to Russia however wouldn’t show decisive to the result of the battle.

Bakhmut, situated about 34 miles north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, had a prewar inhabitants of 80,000 and was an essential industrial centre, surrounded by salt and gypsum mines.

The metropolis, which was named Artyomovsk after a Bolshevik revolutionary when Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, additionally was identified for its glowing wine manufacturing in underground caves.