At 12pm local time Prigozhin, commander of the Wagner forces, announced the complete liberation of Bakhmut (Artemovsk) by his troops.
The operation to capture the city lasted 244 days. Ukrainian troops were forced to retreat this morning from their last stronghold in the south west of the city, where the Mig monument is located. This is confirmed by an update of the map of Ukrainian military analysts affiliated with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Despite having a numerical superiority and President Zelenksy's oft repeated promise to hold the city at all costs AFU troops have retreated west to Khromovo and Chasov Yar close to the city.
Military analysts from the Russian telegram channel Intel Slava have noted the significance of the Ukrainian defeat at Bakhmut:
The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine only by those killed may well exceed the figure of 30 thousand people, which is a lot for a modern war, and most importantly, a lot of well trained soldiers and officers, including those from the SOF [Special Operations Forces] were killed and wounded in the AFU.
Apparently, Wagner troops will withdraw from the city on 25 May to rest and refit. It is not clear which troops will replace them but it may well be Chechen forces who have offered their help to Prigozhin in the past.
This is a major defeat for Zelensky who often spoke about the symbolic and strategic importance of keeping Bakhmut. He kept sending a reinforcements to defend Bakhmut in the face of American advice to abandon the city back in January. This victory will be an undoubted moral boost for Russian forces and a major propaganda victory for the Kremlin.
It remains to be seen what the next move of Russian forces will be in this area. Some analysts speculate that they will move to take Seversk or advance west to Chasov Yar. Only time will tell.
This is a developing story. More news on this as it breaks over the next few days.
At the G7 summit in Tokyo Zelensky admitted that Bakhmut has fallen to Wagner forces. Apparently, 40,000 AFU troops have retreated to new defensive positions at Chasov Yar.