MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. Ukraine’s authorities are seeking to make information noise around the loss of Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) and present their defeat as a kind of a victory to prevent demoralization of troops, Andrey Marochko, a retired colonel of the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), said on Sunday.

"As for Ukraine’s statements that the goal has been attained are a very bad disguise for the defeat. We remember such statements when Mariupol was liberated. They tried to picture their defeat as a victory," he said in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station.

As a matter of fact, in his words, such statements are nothing by information noise. "As usual, [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky will award decorations to the losers, it is not ruled out that we will see new ‘heroes.’ <…> We will soon see Ukraine’s statements of this kind meant to encourage the troops," he explained.

According to Marochko, Ukrainian forces may try to counterattack Artyomovsk. "They have not come to terms with this loss. Moreover, we see that they are trying to counterattack and return to Bakhmut. <…> We know Zelensky’s attitude to Artyomovsk. He may deploy all the resources to at least recapture some localities in its suburbs and declare another ‘victory,’" he said.

The Russian defense ministry said on Saturday that as a result of an offensive staged by Wagner PMC assault units supported by the artillery and aircraft of the South battlegroup, the city of Artyomovsk. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Wagner and regular troops on the city’s liberation.

Located in the northern part of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Artyomovsk used to be a major transport and logistics hub for Ukrainian troops in Donbass. Fierce fighting for control of the city began in August 2022.

At a meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Zelensky confirmed that Kiev had lost control of that city. However, his press secretary said later that Zelensky’s words had been misinterpreted.