Key Points
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Bakhmut is no longer occupied by Moscow.
- Bakhmut has been the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting in Russia's more than year-long invasion of Ukraine.
- The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group insists his fighters maintain control of the eastern city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Bakhmut was "not occupied" by Moscow, while the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group insisted his fighters had taken control of the eastern city "to the last centimetre."
Kyiv's military said it was hanging on to a small part of the city and said its troops were advancing on its flanks.
Bakhmut, a salt-mining town that once had a population of 70,000 people, has been the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting in Moscow's more than year-long Ukraine offensive.
A Ukrainian soldier preparing equipment on a mission to the front south of Bakhmut, Donetsk. Source: Getty / Anadolu Agency
But speaking at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Mr Zelenskyy denied Russia's claims.
"Bakhmut is not occupied by Russia today," he said during a press conference.
"I cannot share with you the tactical views of our military. The most difficult thing would be if there was some tactical mistake in Bakhmut and our people were surrounded."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joins G7 world leaders on the final day of the G7 Summit on May 21, 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan. Source: Getty / Stefan Rousseau
"You have to understand there is nothing" there in Bakhmut, he said on the sidelines of the summit in Japan.
Satellite imagery comparing the before/after destruction of University buildings and a radio tower in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Source: Getty / Maxar/DigitalGlobe
"There is absolutely nothing alive (there)."
