Ukraine: Bakhmut captured, Russian Defense Ministry says

Russian troops have taken control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Bakhmut, which is located in Ukraine's Donetsk province, has been the site of fierce fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces for months. Russia controls around half of the province and claimed to have annexed it in the autumn of 2022.

"As a result of offensive actions by Wagner assault units, supported by artillery and aviation of the Southern Group of Forces, the liberation of Artyomovsk has been completed," the Defense Ministry said, referring to Bakhmut by its Soviet-era name.

Earlier on Saturday, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, also reported the capture of Bakhmut.

The claim was disputed by Kyiv, which said fighting to control the city continued.