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CNN JUST IN: Wagner chief claims complete capture of Bakhmut, but Ukraine says it still controls part of the city

The chief of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Saturday that his forces have taken complete control of the long-contested city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

“The operation to capture Bakhmut lasted 224 days,” he said in a video posted to Telegram, seeking to claim a final victory for the city.

CNN could not independently verify Prigozhin’s claim, and a message from a Ukrainian defense official partially disputed it.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, in a Telegram post less than an hour after the Russian mercenary’s claim was published, admitted the situation in Bakhmut was “critical” but said Ukrainian troops were still “holding the defense in the 'Airplane' district of the city,” which is on Bakhmut’s westernmost edge.

“As of now, our defenders control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector,” she said.
While Russian forces have continued their slow street-by-street advance in the city itself for many months, over the last fortnight, Ukrainian forces have managed to re-capture small pockets of territory held by Russian troops to the northwest and southwest of the city.