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KIEV: Russia’s Wagner Special Army began handing over its positions in Bakhmut to regular Russian forces on Thursday, five days after declaring full control of the stricken eastern Ukrainian city after the war’s longest, bloodiest battle.
Moscow says the capture of Bakhmut opens the way for advances in the eastern industrial region known as Donbass. Kiev says that the battle attracted Russian forces to the city, inflicted great losses and weakened Moscow’s defensive line in other places.
Founder of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhinwho repeatedly accused the regular Russian army of abandoning the ground his men had captured earlier, said Wagner would be prepared to return to the city if necessary.
“From today at 5 in the morning of May 25 until June 1, most of (Wagner’s) units will be sent back to camps in the rear,” Prigozhin said in a video, wearing combat fatigues and standing next to a war-damaged apartment complex. He says that 20,000 of his fighters died while taking Bakhmut.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said in a message on the Telegram application that Wagner handed over positions on the outskirts of the city, but “inside the city itself, Wagner fighters remained”.
Russia on Thursday moved forward with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in its neighbor and close ally Belarus, and signed a deal on stockpiling warheads. It will be the first time the Kremlin has deployed such bombs outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
“The movement of nuclear weapons has already begun,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told reporters in Moscow, where he was attending talks with other former Soviet leaders.
The US State Department condemned the proliferation plan, but said Washington had no intention of changing its position on strategic nuclear weapons and had seen no indications that Russia was preparing to use a nuclear weapon.
“It is the latest example of irresponsible behavior we’ve seen from Russia,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Russia pushes its demands in the grain deal
Also on Thursday, Russia signaled that if its demands for better grain and fertilizer exports were not met, it would not extend beyond July 17, a deal allowing the safe export of the same wartime products from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
The same threat and demands were made in March. Then Moscow last week agreed to renew a 60-day Black Sea export pact — which the United Nations and Turkey initially brokered last July with Russia and Ukraine in a bid to ease a global goods crisis exacerbated by Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
Some peace initiatives have been proposed, including by Russia’s ally China, the Vatican and a group of countries in Africa, but there are no indications of actual talks to end the war.
Ukrainian President: “There is no force that can force Ukrainian society and its leaders to talk to the Russians. Not while the Russian forces are here. It does not exist.” Volodymyr ZelenskyChief of Staff Andriy Yermak was quoted as saying Thursday in an interview with Ukraine’s Interfax news agency.
Russian forces have controlled parts of Ukrainian territory since the war began, and Ukraine plans to launch a major counterattack to reclaim the territory, using modern weapons provided by Western allies and newly trained forces across Europe, but details are scarce.
Russia has built sprawling fortifications in eastern and southern Ukraine in preparation for the counteroffensive. Military analysts said that the small attacks carried out by Ukrainian forces may aim to spread the Russian forces thinly, creating gaps in other places that could be exploited.
In a prisoner exchange with Russia, Ukraine received 106 soldiers captured at Bakhmut. Russia confirmed the exchange, saying Wagner took part in the exchange, but did not say how many Russians were released.
The United States imposes personal sanctions on Wagner
Two official sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States intends to announce military aid worth up to $300 million to Ukraine, consisting mainly of ammunition. The United States has pledged more than $35 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the United States and its allies are fighting a proxy war.
Western allies say they want Ukraine to defeat Russian forces on the battlefield, but deny Putin’s claim that they want to destroy Russia, which they accuse of an imperialist grab of territory in Ukraine without provocation.
The US Treasury said it imposed sanctions on the head of Wagner in Mali. It added that the group’s employees may have been trying to work across the West African country to obtain equipment such as mines, drones and radar for use in Ukraine.
Moscow says the capture of Bakhmut opens the way for advances in the eastern industrial region known as Donbass. Kiev says that the battle attracted Russian forces to the city, inflicted great losses and weakened Moscow’s defensive line in other places.
Founder of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhinwho repeatedly accused the regular Russian army of abandoning the ground his men had captured earlier, said Wagner would be prepared to return to the city if necessary.
“From today at 5 in the morning of May 25 until June 1, most of (Wagner’s) units will be sent back to camps in the rear,” Prigozhin said in a video, wearing combat fatigues and standing next to a war-damaged apartment complex. He says that 20,000 of his fighters died while taking Bakhmut.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said in a message on the Telegram application that Wagner handed over positions on the outskirts of the city, but “inside the city itself, Wagner fighters remained”.
Russia on Thursday moved forward with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in its neighbor and close ally Belarus, and signed a deal on stockpiling warheads. It will be the first time the Kremlin has deployed such bombs outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
“The movement of nuclear weapons has already begun,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told reporters in Moscow, where he was attending talks with other former Soviet leaders.
The US State Department condemned the proliferation plan, but said Washington had no intention of changing its position on strategic nuclear weapons and had seen no indications that Russia was preparing to use a nuclear weapon.
“It is the latest example of irresponsible behavior we’ve seen from Russia,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Russia pushes its demands in the grain deal
Also on Thursday, Russia signaled that if its demands for better grain and fertilizer exports were not met, it would not extend beyond July 17, a deal allowing the safe export of the same wartime products from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
The same threat and demands were made in March. Then Moscow last week agreed to renew a 60-day Black Sea export pact — which the United Nations and Turkey initially brokered last July with Russia and Ukraine in a bid to ease a global goods crisis exacerbated by Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
Some peace initiatives have been proposed, including by Russia’s ally China, the Vatican and a group of countries in Africa, but there are no indications of actual talks to end the war.
Ukrainian President: “There is no force that can force Ukrainian society and its leaders to talk to the Russians. Not while the Russian forces are here. It does not exist.” Volodymyr ZelenskyChief of Staff Andriy Yermak was quoted as saying Thursday in an interview with Ukraine’s Interfax news agency.
Russian forces have controlled parts of Ukrainian territory since the war began, and Ukraine plans to launch a major counterattack to reclaim the territory, using modern weapons provided by Western allies and newly trained forces across Europe, but details are scarce.
Russia has built sprawling fortifications in eastern and southern Ukraine in preparation for the counteroffensive. Military analysts said that the small attacks carried out by Ukrainian forces may aim to spread the Russian forces thinly, creating gaps in other places that could be exploited.
In a prisoner exchange with Russia, Ukraine received 106 soldiers captured at Bakhmut. Russia confirmed the exchange, saying Wagner took part in the exchange, but did not say how many Russians were released.
The United States imposes personal sanctions on Wagner
Two official sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States intends to announce military aid worth up to $300 million to Ukraine, consisting mainly of ammunition. The United States has pledged more than $35 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the United States and its allies are fighting a proxy war.
Western allies say they want Ukraine to defeat Russian forces on the battlefield, but deny Putin’s claim that they want to destroy Russia, which they accuse of an imperialist grab of territory in Ukraine without provocation.
The US Treasury said it imposed sanctions on the head of Wagner in Mali. It added that the group’s employees may have been trying to work across the West African country to obtain equipment such as mines, drones and radar for use in Ukraine.
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