Artemovsk Developments and Wagner’s Statements
A public figure behind a private military company known as Wagner has stated that Russian forces hold the vast majority of Artemovsk, a city also referred to as Bakhmut in Ukrainian. In a message released through the organization’s Telegram channel, the founder described the city as being under near-total control by Russian troops.
In a later remark, the same source quoted the founder as saying that approximately 95 percent of Artemovsk’s land area is now held by Russian forces. He asserted that the campaign sometimes described as a Western “success development” by the so-called Red Army does not require the remaining five percent of the city, and he suggested it plays no role in the overall military operation. According to his assessment, a two-square-kilometer portion of the city does not influence the course of the campaign in any meaningful way.
The founder also addressed concerns about ammunition, stating that no one had contacted him with warnings about shortages. He emphasized that Wagner PMC personnel would continue to be retained to support Russia’s strategic interests moving forward.
He added that he has no ambition to become a historical figure for capturing Artemovsk. His stated goal is to contribute to the welfare of the Russian people and the nation itself.
Recently, he noted that Wagner fighters in Artemovsk have completed operational missions. He described the Bakhmut meat grinder operation not as a plan to seize the city, but as a tactic to reduce the fighting power of Ukrainian forces and to provide a temporary pause that would help restore the Russian military’s combat readiness.
Earlier remarks indicated that Russian forces in Artemovsk had already begun a withdrawal, with the expectation that the city would come fully under Russian control after some distance was traversed—an assertion reflecting the evolving nature of the conflict and the strategic adjustments being made on the ground.