JAKARTA - The Wagner Group's head of the Russian private army said on Thursday Ukrainian units had started their counterattack, and were approaching Bakhmut from the sides, while the Russian Ministry of Defense said their parachuting forces supported attacks in the western part of the city.
Prigozhin said Ukraine's operations proved "unfortunately, partially successful", in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel.
He said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "tricked" when he said Ukraine's retaliatory attacks had been delayed, as he waited for more help from foreign countries.
Prigozhin said the retaliatory attack actually took place at full speed around Bakhmut.
Russian troops, spearheaded by the Wagner Group, have launched a bloody attack on the city located in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, since last summer.
Last week, Prigozhin claimed that its troops had controlled about 95 percent of the territory, but threatened to withdraw if Moscow did not provide more ammunition to its fighters.
On Wednesday, both Prigozhin and the Ukrainian military said Kyiv forces had expelled a Russian military unit near Bakhmut, in a significant progress for Ukraine.
Prigozhin has repeatedly accused senior Russian defense officials of leaving his troops short on ammunition, blaming them for the reversal around the city.
Separately, in a routine daily briefing on Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense did not refer to the reported setbacks, saying their troops were moving forward.
"The attack groups continued their attack on the western part of Artyomovsk," the statement said, using Soviet-era names for Bakhmut City.
"The paratroopers provided support to them and have opened fire on Ukrainian army units on the sides," he added.
Moscow said seizing Bakhmut would allow them to carry out further attacks in eastern Ukraine. President Zelensky and the West have underestimated the city's strategic interests for Russia, although Kyiv has repeatedly refused to withdraw its troops.
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