Ukrainian President's Office Denies Russian Capture of Bakhmut

The press secretary of the Ukrainian president, Serhiy Nikiforov, announced that during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement was misinterpreted, as reported by kommersant.ru.

According to the press secretary, Zelensky did not claim that Russia controls Bakhmut; on the contrary, he asserted the opposite. Earlier, Reuters reported that Zelensky responded 'I think not' when asked whether Bakhmut is under Ukrainian control. Following the journalist’s question, he also made a clarifying comment stating, 'Russia claims to have captured Bakhmut.'

Nikiforov noted that Zelensky's response was related to this clarification ('Russia claims to have captured Bakhmut'). 'Thus, the president denied the capture of Bakhmut,' Nikiforov wrote on his Facebook page. Following this, as indicated by his press secretary, President Zelensky mentioned that 'Bakhmut is in our hearts,' focusing on the fact that the city is heavily devastated and little remains there.

On the night of May 21, the General Staff of Ukraine announced that battles for Bakhmut are ongoing. This statement came after the Russian Ministry of Defense, following the founder of the 'Wagner' private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced that the city had been brought under control.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already congratulated the 'Wagner' assault troops and Russian military personnel on the completion of the city's capture operation.