In denying that Russia had seized the frontline city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared the damage in Bakhmut to the devastation caused to Hiroshima when it was struck by an atomic bomb.
Pictures of Hiroshima, according to Zelensky, who flew to Japan for a conference of the Group of Seven (G7), “really remind” him of Bakhmut and other Ukrainian cities.
Zelensky stated during a news conference that “just the same, nothing alive left, all of the buildings have been destroyed.”
Regarding who is in charge of Bakhmut, there are competing accounts. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian private military company Wagner, claimed to have conquered Bakhmut on Saturday after months of bloody combat and promised to deliver it to Russia later in May.
Zelensky made another denial at the briefing about Bakhmut being Russian as of Sunday and the presence of Ukrainian soldiers in the city.
“We’re not giving up; we’re fighting.” said Zelensky.”I am fully aware of what is occurring in Bakhmut. Even a nation that is larger than ours cannot defeat us, yet I cannot divulge the military’s strategies. After some time, we shall have prevailed. Our troops are currently in Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) claimed they were advancing in the suburbs and battling Russia in the city, making it “very difficult for the enemy to remain in Bakhmut.”
According to the Kremlin, which used the Soviet-Russian name for Bakhmut, “the operation to liberate Artemovsk” has been successfully completed, to which Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his congratulations.
Zelensky gathers supporters.
If successful, Bakhmut’s conquest would be Russia’s first victory in several weeks, although the city’s symbolic value has always exceeded its tactical significance.Although Moscow has poured a tremendous amount of people, equipment, and attention into the city, it has mainly failed to crush a tenacious Ukrainian resistance that has outlasted most predictions.
Prigozhin would undoubtedly benefit from Bakhmut’s defeat as well, since he recently claimed that his troops would leave the battle totally due to depleting ammo supply and growing losses because there was “nothing left to grind the meat with.”
The war has increased the prominence of Prigozhin, a former head of a catering company, and his forces have been actively engaged in combat.Zelensky unexpectedly showed up at the G7, flying halfway around the world to speak to the big industrial democracies in person.
On the penultimate day of the G7 conference in Japan, the leader of Ukraine urged stronger weapons and more stringent sanctions against Moscow.
After the Biden administration withdrew its opposition to sending cutting-edge fighter jets to Ukraine, he left having clearly gained ground.
“I am unable to say at this time how many airplanes we will be able to obtain. I am unable to provide you a precise timeframe, but we will move quickly because it is crucial to our daily operations. Life after life is being lost,” he stated.
The G7 saw a reaffirmation of support for Ukraine from its allies, with British Prime Minister RIshi Sunak stating that “Ukraine must not only win the war, but win a just and lasting peace.”
