Head Of Wagner Group Mercenary Claims Bakhmut City Ukraine Is Under Siege Of His Troops

JAKARTA - Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, said in a video published on Friday, the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is practically surrounded by his troops, while the Kyiv army has only one road left.

Prigozhin's forces have spearheaded the offensive in eastern Ukraine for months. Moscow regards Bakhmut, which was called Artyomovsk in the Soviet era, as a useful springboard for capturing larger cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Prigozhin, who is wearing a military uniform in the video, called on Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to withdraw his troops from the small town.

"Units from the private military company Wagner have surrounded Bakhmut. Only one road remains (which is open to Ukrainian troops). The siege is getting tighter," Prigozhin said, launching Reuters on March 3.

Reuters geolocated the video in the village of Paraskoviivka, 4.3 miles (7 km) north of the center of Bakhmut. Prigozhin had previously announced the capture of Paraskovivka on 17 February.

Prigozhin further said that his troops fought more against the elderly and children than professional Ukrainian soldiers.

The video then shows what appear to be three arrested Ukrainians, an older man and two boys, who appear frightened and ask to be allowed to go home. They seemed to be speaking under immense pressure.

Earlier, Prigozhin on Thursday released another video showing his fighters inside Bakhmut. Reuters located the location of the recording to the east of Bakhmut, about 1.2 miles (2 km) from the city center.