Prigozhin is standing near the destroyed Bakhmut train station. While it's possible his forces took the last 400-yard stretch of road & destroyed buildings in the city's westernmost area, his claim of full control would be more convincing if he were standing along that stretch. https://t.co/ORKHV36K5J
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 20, 2023
I just spoke by phone with Serhiy Cherevatyi, military spokesman for Ukraine's eastern district. He said that while Russian forces control most of Bakhmut, fighting is ongoing on Chaikovskoho St and a handful of city blocks in the W/NW, and Wagner hasn't established full control.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 20, 2023
So Prigozhin (Wagner) will claim a win after taking ruins of a city but since Wagner isn't a defensive group, they will hand the defence over to someone else (I.E. Russian Forces) who will lose the city shortly (which I'm sure Prigozhin knows will happen) but they can get out now, claim their victory (and money) and distance themselves from the scenario of when Russia loses Bakhmut and take none of the blame but all of the credit for taking it.
Prigozhin will then come out to bitch about Shoigu/Gerasimov again for losing Bakhmut and come out of this looking the best (in Russia). It's a pyrrhic victory in the best sense of the phrase, it would have been an okay tactical gain 3-5 months ago but definitely not now. Russia won't be able to push out of the city as originally intended, especially with Ukraine chipping at their flanks, they run a high risk of becoming fish in a barrel.
But Prigozhin will still claim victory because all his goal was to claim Bakhmut at any costs, anything that happens after isn't his problem. Get their money for taking Bakhmut and probably off to terrorise some African countries.
Slippery Nazi Bastard.
Last edited by Ryuu96 - on 20 May 2023
