MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. Russian forces will cease artillery fire in Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine) during a trip by US reporters whom the Ukrainian military is bringing to the city, Wagner private military company founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement uploaded on his press office’s Telegram channel on Thursday.

"We were at the headquarters dealing with combat operations when information came that Tserber, commander of the Ukrainian army’s 57th brigade, was bringing American journalists to Bakhmut. A decision was made to cease artillery fire so that American reporters could calmly make footage of Bakhmut and leave home. The media is a sacred thing. They are also a sort of military reporters," Prigozhin said.

The Wagner founder, however, warned the Ukrainian military against attempts to bring reserves to Artyomovsk under the cover of US journalists. "Tserber, get hello from our guys but do not bring in reserves," Prigozhin said, pledging to thwart such attempts, if they took place.

Artyomovsk is located on the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and was a major transportation hub for the Ukrainian army’s supplies in Donbass. Fierce fighting for the city is underway. On April 18, Yan Gagin, adviser to the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, told TASS that Russian forces controlled already almost 90% of the territory of Artyomovsk.

Acting DPR Head Denis Pushilin said on Thursday that Russian forces had placed the Ukrainian army’s last supply route in Artyomovsk under their gunfire control.