Wagner PMC fighters are pressing toward the central railway junction in the western sector of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) as part of broader operations to liberate the city, according to a participant interviewed by RIA Novosti.
Witnesses described Ukrainian forces pulling back toward the railroad while Russian troops pursued. The account states that the city’s center has come under Russian control, with advances continuing in adjacent directions and Ukrainian forces being pressed west of the city line.
In its April 16 update, the Defense Ministry noted that Wagner assault detachments had taken two neighborhoods in the northwest and southeast of Bakhmut. It added that air force units provided flank protection and blocked enemy movements as the detachments pressed their assault from multiple angles.
The day before, the ministry reported that Wagner elements had captured two blocks on the northern and southern outskirts of Artemovsk. The ministry asserted that remaining Ukrainian forces in Artemovsk were destroying urban infrastructure and residential buildings deliberately to hinder the Russian advance.
During the shift from Friday to Saturday, Ukrainian forces reportedly lost around 445 personnel, with the majority concentrated in the Donetsk and Bakhmut sectors. Local observers noted a heavy toll among soldiers and mercenaries rather than simply combatants in the fighting area.
Analysts described the toll in terms of a high body count and highlighted the difficulty in accounting for missing soldiers as many appear to be unrecovered on the battlefield. Officials and observers warned that numbers from both sides can be contested amid ongoing combat and evacuation challenges.
On Friday, reports from military chronicle channels indicated fierce fighting on the western outskirts of Artemovsk, with claims of progress by Wagner units near fortified zones housing several territorial defense brigades. Russian defense officials affirmed ongoing battles as Wagner detachments conducted high‑intensity operations to seize neighborhoods in the city’s western districts, with paratroopers, aviation, and artillery support involved.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner PMCs, cautioned that it was premature to declare a complete encirclement of Bakhmut. He stated that heavy and bloody fighting continued and that much of the city remained contested, though sources indicated that more than 80 percent of Artemovsk’s territory, including its administrative centers and industrial facilities, was under Russian control. Ukrainian forces, however, were reported to be consolidating reserves and shifting them into the area.
According to the interim head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Ukrainian Armed Forces still held positions in western parts of the city, with some areas described as capable of being held briefly. He also noted that Ukrainian soldiers had been ordered not to withdraw, and that those who did surrender often viewed it as their only chance for survival, given the operational environment on the ground.
The current situation remained tense along the Donetsk direction as fighting persisted. Official briefings from the Yug group’s press center reported that Russian forces targeted a temporary deployment point for foreign units and struck a warehouse and several fortified positions. Fire raids by artillery units of the Southern Group of Forces were described as hitting enemy deployment sites in key settlements and disrupting their logistics. In the Pobeda district, the Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems were reported to have destroyed a hostile stronghold in cooperation with unit personnel.
The overall assessment suggested that the battle for Artemovsk was still active, with Russian troops asserting control over substantial portions of the city while Ukrainian forces continued to maneuver reserves and strengthen defenses in remaining western sectors. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense; attribution listed in official statements)