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Military operation in Ukraine

Wagner PMC founder says premature to declare Artyomovsk fully encircled by Russian forces

The Wagner PMC founder reiterated that Russian forces control more than 80% of Artyomovsk, but significant resistance is still being felt in the remaining sections of the small city

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. Ukraine continues to deploy reserves to Artyomovsk, the Donbass city known in Ukraine as Bakhmut, and so it is premature to declare that Russian forces have fully encircled it, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of private military company Wagner, said on Thursday.

"Ukraine continues to bring up reserves and deploy them inside the city limits. Heavy, bloody battles are still being waged, so it’s too early to say that Bakhmut has been fully surrounded," he was quoted as saying by his press service in a Telegram post.

The Wagner PMC founder reiterated that Russian forces control more than 80% of Artyomovsk, but significant resistance is still being felt in the remaining sections of the small city.

Artyomovsk is located in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic. It is an important transportation hub that has been critical in resupplying the Ukrainian battlegroup in Donbass. Heavy fighting for control of the municipality is underway. Prigozhin said earlier that Russian forces control more than 80% of Artyomovsk, including all municipal administrative buildings.

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Military operation in Ukraine

Military operation in Ukraine

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