Russian forces have captured the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Ukraine’s top commander in the region said, marking President Vladimir Putin’s first significant battlefield victory since last summer’s renewed offensive.

The news was hailed across Russia as a major success reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s battlefield victories during World War II. One Russian fighter recalled that the battle for Bakhmut conjured up “probably the same emotions as our grandpas did in Berlin,” the New York Times reports.

A news anchor for the state-owned media outlet, Channel 1, broadcasting from Moscow, declared: “Mission accomplished.” The segment also cited reports that Putin and the Russian Defense Ministry – headed by Sergei Shoigu – had publicly credited Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group mercenary force, for aiding in the city’s capture.

Prigozhin has been a vocal critic of Putin and the Russian military’s handling of the war in Ukraine.

On May 10, the military chief announced his intention to remove Wagner units from Bakhmut, casting blame at the feet of Minister Shoigu and the chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, for logistical issues leading to a massive shortage of crucial ammunition.

“I am withdrawing the Wagner PMC [Private Military Company] units from Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition, they are doomed to senseless death,” Prigozhin said in a video address clad in camouflage and a helmet at the time. “Their unprofessionalism is destroying tens of thousands of Russian guys. This is unforgivable,” the Wagner chief further argued.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian leaders have sought to downplay the loss of Bakhmut as a minor setback.

“You have to understand, there is nothing,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a G7 summit hosted in Hiroshima, Japan, on Sunday. “They destroyed everything,” the Ukrainian leader added. “There are no buildings. It’s a pity, it’s a tragedy, but for today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing on this space, just ground and a lot of dead Russians.”

A similar chord was struck by European military observers. “The complete takeover of Bakhmut does not make any strategic difference,” Nico Lange, a former German Defense Ministry chief of staff, told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

The city was long hailed by Ukrainians, including President Zelensky himself, as “Fortress Bakhmut,” and had become a national symbol of resistance.

The battle for the city has been among the bloodiest of the 15-month conflict, which began in February 2022. The White House recently estimated that nearly 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since December 2022, over half of whom were likely affiliated with the Wagner mercenary group.