Russian official says forces have seized 75% of Bakhmut

Russian forces have managed to seize 75 percent of the frontline town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, a Russian official claims.

For the past several months, Bakhmut and its surrounding towns have been the focal point of attacks by Russia, which launched a full-scale war against neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Neither side has full control over the city and both have suffered heavy losses so far.

The battle to seize heavily-fortified Bakhmut has been spearheaded by mercenaries of the Wagner group, the Russia's private security company which has made small but steady gains against the Ukrainian troops defending the town.

Bakhmut has been the subject of one of the most protracted battles in the ongoing war.

On Monday, Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed leader of Donetsk, said Russian forces controlled more than 75 percent of the blockaded Bakhmut, the battle over which has drawn comparisons with World War One due to massive casualties on both sides.

Pushilin published footage of himself on Telegram purportedly visiting the salt mining town, and was seen among ruins, clad in body armor and with explosions audible in the background.

"I can say with absolute certainty, that more than 75% of the city is under the control of our units," he told state-run Rossiya-24 TV channel after his purported visit. However, he cautioned that it was too early to talk about the fall of the ill-fated town.

Russia's Wagner: Ukraine forces not quitting Bakhmut, more support needed

The head of Russia

For the Kremlin, capturing Bakhmut is essential for achieving its stated goal of taking control of the whole of Donetsk, one of the four Ukrainian regions - along with Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia - that Moscow added to the Russian Federation following referendums in the said regions in September 2022.

So far, much of the territory in the Russian-annexed regions still remain in Ukrainian hands.

Moscow says Bakhmut would be a stepping stone and a rare battlefield gain in completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region (composed of Donetsk and Luhansk), one of Moscow’s most important objectives.

Russia, Ukraine exchange 200-plus captured soldiers

Russia and Ukraine exchange more than 200 captured soldiers.

Russia, Ukraine swap 100 prisoners each

Separately on Monday, both Moscow and Kiev said that they had returned around 100 soldiers each in their latest prisoner exchange, a move periodically made since the onset of war.

"We are returning 100 of our people. They are military people, sailors, border guards, national guardsmen," said the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.

He further said that the swap included troops who held out in Mariupol, the devastated port city seized by Russia last spring, adding that some returned Ukrainian soldiers were "seriously injured."

Yermak described the exchange "difficult."

Moscow, for its part, said it had returned more than 100 of its servicemen in the exchange.

"As a result of negotiations, 106 Russian soldiers were returned from territories under Kiev control," the Russian defense ministry said in a statement, adding that they would be taken by plane to Moscow "for treatment and rehabilitation."

"All those that were freed will be given the necessary medical and psychological help," it further said.

In the previous round of prisoner swap last month, 130 Ukrainians were swapped for 90 Russian servicemen, according to authorities.

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