Russian Mercenary Chief Says Ukraine’s Bakhmut Is Practically Surrounded

Yevgeny Privozhin (Russia’s Wagner Mercenary Force founder) speaks in Paraskoviivka, Ukraine, in this still from an undated clip, released March 3, 2023. (Concord Press Service/via Reuters).

Yevgeny Pirizhin, Russia’s founder of Wagner’s mercenary force, said that Bakhmut was in Ukraine. “practically surrounded” Kyiv was limited to one way.

Since months, Prigozhin and his men have been leading the attack against eastern Ukraine. Moscow sees Bakhmut, which it used to call Artyomovsk during Soviet times, as a way to get to larger cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

The video shows Prigozhin in a military uniform, calling on Volodymr Zeleskyy, Ukraine’s President, to withdraw his troops and forces from the small Ukrainian town.

“Units from the private military company Wagner have virtually surrounded Bakhmut. Only one road remains (open to Ukrainian forces). The pincers get tighter,” Prigozhin.

Reuters geolocated Paraskoviivka’s video (4.3 miles (7km), north of Bakhmut’s center). Prigozhin captured Paraskoviivka in February 2017.

Prigozhin said that his forces are fighting more against children and older men than the professional Ukrainian army.

On Thursday, Prigozhin uploaded another video showing his fighters in Bakhmut. Reuters geolocated the footage east Bakhmut, approximately 1.2 miles (2 km) from the city center.