Fierce fighting in Bakhmut (Artemovsk), head of Russia’s Wagner group says

The head of Russia’s private Wagner group said on Sunday that fierce fighting was ongoing in the northern parts of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which has been the focus of Russian forces’ attention for weeks.

Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the founder and head of the Wagner group, said his soldiers were “fighting for every street, every house, every stairwell” against Ukrainian forces who were not retreating.

 "I am clarifying the situation. The Ukrainian armed forces are not retreating. They are fighting up to the last ditch. In the northern quarters of Artemovsk, there are fierce battles for every street, every house, every stairwell," he said. His words are published on his’s press service Telegram Channel.

"Of course, it's nice that the media wish the retreat of the Ukrainian armed forces, but this is not happening either in the northern quarters, or in the south, or in the east," he said, answering a question from journalists about media reports on the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from the northern districts of the city.

Earlier, the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin said that Russian forces were systematically working to cut off the supply lines of the Ukrainian group in the Artemovsk region and to pincer it. He also reported that fighting was already taking place on the outskirts of the city, directly in the quarters that had recently been held by Ukrainian units.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel of the People's Militia of the Lugansk People's Republic Andrey Marochko informed that Russian forces had about 10 km to go to close the ring around Artemovsk.