The head of the Russian occupation of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, visited central Bakhmut, the epicenter for months of fighting in Ukraine and where the Russians appear to be advancing, according to a video released on Monday.
Denis Pushilin posted these images on Telegram in which he is seen in combat gear in a debris-covered square that appears to be Freedom Square in central Bakhmout.
“Here is our Artiomovsk (Russian name for Bakhmout) being liberated by (the Russian paramilitary group) Wagner. it in this short undated video.
Ukrainian forces are losing ground
In recent days, Ukrainian forces seem to have lost ground in the city center where several Russian war correspondents have visited in recent days and whose reports show a devastated city.
A city of some 70,000 inhabitants before the conflict, Bakhmout has been the scene of terrible fighting for months. Due to the length of the battle and the heavy losses suffered by both sides, the city has become the symbol of the struggle between Russians and Ukrainians for control of the industrial region of Donbass.
Russian troops have advanced in recent months north and south of Bakhmut, cutting several Ukrainian supply routes and seizing its eastern part. In recent days, they seem to be progressing in the center, again fueling speculation about an upcoming Ukrainian withdrawal.