Vladimir Putin has hailed his first major victory since the early days of the invasion of Ukraine, claiming Russian forces had captured the eastern city of Bakhmut despite Kyiv insisting the battle “was not over”.Russia’s president said the paramilitary group Wagner had seized the Ukrainian city with help from Russia’s armed forces after a bloody, months-long battle that claimed more than 100,000 casualties and reduced the city to ruins.
“All who distinguished themselves will be put forward for state awards,” the Kremlin said in a statement released overnight on Sunday.
The battle of Bakhmut has been the longest and bloodiest fought in Ukraine since Putin launched his full-scale invasion in February 2022. Heavy fighting erupted there last May, but intensified in autumn and through winter.