According to the head of the Russian private army Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Ukrainian troops suffered decisive losses in the defense of the city of Bakhmut. "The Battle of Bakhmut practically destroyed the Ukrainian army today," Prigozhin claimed. The battle for Bakhmut was the most important battle in Ukraine, and the "victory" of the Wagner troops there was "the greatest turning point in this war and in modern history in general," he boasted on the Telegram news channel.

However, neither side can speak of a victory. There has been intense fighting for the city in eastern Ukraine for the past six months. Bachmut, which had around 70,000 inhabitants before the war, has been largely destroyed. According to a Tuesday report by the Washington-based Institute for War Studies (ISW), Russian forces currently control nearly 65 percent of the city's territory. According to information from Kiev, the Ukrainian troops managed to wear down the Russian attackers in the battles for Bakhmut.

Bachmut now has a high symbolic value for both warring parties. The Wagner troops fighting there on the Russian side have meanwhile been able to besiege the city from three sides with heavy losses, but have not completely cut off the supply routes of the Ukrainians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered everything to be done to prevent the city from falling.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also admitted heavy fighting. "Our (fighters) perform miracles of heroism there," he said on Wednesday. However, he did not make a forecast for taking the city. Kiev is still holding on to difficult Bakhmut defenses to wear down Russian forces and buy time for a counteroffensive that is expected in the next few weeks.