Wagner Chief Says 70% Of Bakhmut Controlled By His Forces, Warns Momentum Could Stall

BY ZeroHedge - TYLER DURDEN - MONDAY, MAR 20, 2023

Russia's Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Sunday that 70% of Bakhmut is under the control of his forces, according to TASS. But he also said that Ukraine's armed forces appear to be mobilizing for a major offensive after Russian soldiers maintained the momentum for weeks.

Prigozhin says Russian forces control 70% of Artemivsk

March 20, 12:07 pm updated March 20, 12:48

© Andrey Rubtsov/ TASS

At the same time, according to the founder of the PMC "Wagner", the Armed Forces of Ukraine are planning a wide offensive in late March - early April in order to cut off the unit from the main forces of the Russian Federation

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Russian forces control about 70% of Artemivsk (the Ukrainian name is Bakhmut), but the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) are planning a large-scale offensive. This is stated in a letter from the founder of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin addressed to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, published on Monday in the Telegram channel of Prigozhin's press service.

"Currently, units of PMC" Wagner "control about 70% of the settlement of Bakhmut and continue the offensive for its complete liberation," Prigozhin said.

"According to available information, in late March - early April, the enemy plans to launch a large-scale offensive and deliver flank cut-off strikes in order to cut off the Wagner PMC unit from the main forces of the RF Armed Forces," the letter says.

In this regard, Prigozhin asked Shoigu to take all necessary measures to prevent the Wagner PMC from being cut off from the main forces of the RF Armed Forces, as it "will lead to negative consequences for the NMD."

As Prigozhin noted, the closed annex to the letter contains information about the enemy’s plan and a proposal for counteraction.

Artemovsk is located in the part of the DPR controlled by Kyiv, this settlement is an important transport hub for supplying the Ukrainian group of troops in the Donbas. Fierce battles are going on for Artemovsk. According to Jan Gagin, adviser to the acting head of the DPR, Russian forces control up to 70% of the city's territory. Also, all paved roads leading there have already been cut or are under the fire control of the Russian forces, which greatly complicates the supply of the Ukrainian group.

Nevertheless, Denis Pushilin, acting head of the DPR, has repeatedly noted that there is no evidence that Ukrainian troops are going to leave Artemovsk. At the same time, Kyiv claims that the defense of the city will be strengthened. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has previously stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not surrender Artemivsk and will fight for it as much as they can.

Western media's coverage of the fight for Bakhmut seems to have waned in the past two weeks, compared with the prior intensity of reporting in early March and February. Kremlin forces have the strategic city of the Donetsk region almost completely surrounded, but there have been reports that their forward advance has stalled.

Lately, Ukrainian leadership has acknowledged things are very tough, amid high casualties while facing down superior Russian artillery supplies, but has vowed to keep up defense of the city and not abandon it.

The battle for the city has been described as a "meat-grinder", with The Washington Post recently offering this blunt assessment:

The Washington Post noted Kiev is running low on men and weapons. "An influx of inexperienced draftees, brought in to plug the losses, has changed the profile of the Ukrainian force," Isabelle Khurshudyan wrote in the Post. "[The force] is also suffering from basic shortages of ammunition, including artillery shells and mortar bombs, according to military personnel in the field."

As for Wagner's Prigozhin, there are new reports saying he fears Russia could soon lose its advance and momentum broadly in the east if drastic action isn't taken.

Citing his words, Newsweek writes, "Prigozhin's depiction of imminent Ukrainian counteroffensives also implies that he believes that Russian forces will lose the initiative to Ukraine soon and be forced onto the defensive rather than continuing stalled or unsuccessful offensives in the Kreminna, Bakhmut, Avdiivka or Vuhledar areas."

Kyiv has used the fierce fight for Bakhmut to lobby the West for more and bigger weapons. Ukraine is continuing to deploy its US-supplied HIMARS rockets in the meantime.

On Monday the Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) said the military intercepted multiple HIMARS rockets fired on Russian positions. "In the past 24 hours, air defense capabilities intercepted five rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, and also a HARM anti-radiation missile," an (MoD) spokesperson said. "In addition, they destroyed seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Kremennaya, Rubezhnoye, Ploshchanka, and Karmazinovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Kirillovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic."

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How a Washington think-tank has assessed battlefield control as of Monday: