Russia has replaced its Wagner units with regular army soldiers in the outskirts of Bakhmut but the group’s fighters remain inside the city, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said.
On Telegram, she said, “In the Bakhmut directions, the enemy is trying to stop our advance on the flanks with artillery fire. Now the enemy is pulling up additional units to the flanks for reinforcement.
“In the suburbs of Bakhmut, the enemy replaced Wagner’s units with army regular units. At the moment, the Wagnerites remain in the same city of Bakhmut,” she said.
Maliar’s comments partially confirmed an announcement by the Wagner group that its fighters had started withdrawing from Bakhmut and were handing over their positions.
We are withdrawing from Bakhmut : Prigozhin
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has started withdrawing its forces from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, according to its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.
A video posted on Telegram by his press service showed Prigozhin dressed in battle gear and standing beside a war-damaged residential block while making the statement.
“We are withdrawing the units from Bakhmut. From today at five in the morning, May 25 until June 1, most of the units will re-base to camps in the rear. We are handing our positions to the military,” he said.
Prigozhin announced the capture of Bakhmut on Saturday after the longest and bloodiest battle of the war. He said his fighters would pull out and regular Russian troops would move in to replace them.
