Bakhmut is not occupied by Russia as of today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the press conference following the G7 summit in Japan on 21 May 2023. Answering the questions of journalist, Zelenskyy was asked whether the battle for the city was still ongoing despite the statements of the Russian head of Wagner Mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that Russian troops had completely occupied Bakhmut on 20 May 2023.
“Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today. There are no two or three interpretations of those words,” Zelenskyy said.
As was reported, Ukrainian troops withdrew from most of their last positions in Bakhmut on 20 May 2023. At the same time, Ukrainian deputy defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on 21 May 2023 that Ukrainian troops maintain control over industrial and infrastructure facilities and the private sector of Bakhmut in the “Litak” area, which is the city’s southwestern outskirts.
Maliar also claimed that the situation for Russian soldiers in Bakhmut is complicated:
“The enemy failed to surround Bakhmut, and they lost part of the dominant heights around the city.That is, the advance of our troops in the suburbs along the flanks, which is still ongoing, makes it very difficult for the enemy to stay in Bakhmut. Our troops took the city in semi-encirclement, which gives us the opportunity to destroy the enemy.Therefore, the enemy has to defend himself in the part of the city he controls.“