Russian fighters of the Wagner paramilitary goup have yet to completely leave Bakhmut, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram on June 3.
On May 20, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had announced that his fighters would complete their withdrawal from the city in Donetsk Oblast by June 1.
The mercenaries are training arriving regular army troops, Maliar added in her post.
According to Maliar, the situation on the front line is imperceptibly changing, with Russia regrouping and replacing the worn-out troops that have been attacking in six directions in Donbas.
She said the situation in the city is ‘stable’ and Ukrainian forces still control the southwestern edges of the city.
Prigozhin claimed that Bakhmut has fallen to Russia last month, which Ukraine denied.
Images of the city show Bakhmut having been completely destroyed by a year of fighting.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
