The head of the Wagner paramilitary organization Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on Saturday that his fighters have gain considerable ground in Bahamut, posting a video in which he states that he is at a distance of approx 1.2 kilometers away from the administrative center of the city. However, he reiterated that the Ukrainians will retaliate, warning that there is a danger of Russian forces to be surrounded.

“This is a five-story building where the smoke is coming from – the city administration building, the administrative center of the city. It’s a kilometer and 200 meters away”Prigozhin characteristically said in the video he posted on Telegram, pointing in that direction.

CNN has geo-tagged the video, and it appears to show the area where Prigozhin said he was at the time.

“This is the place where the Armed Forces of Ukraine will launch a counterattack from the north, it is important for us that the warriors cover our sides,” he said. “If the flanks are covered, then everything is fine, if not, then PMC Wagner will be surrounded, along with the Ukrainians inside Bakhmut” he noticed.

The eastern Ukrainian city, located in the Donetsk region, continues to be the scene of some of the fiercest fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

“I will run for president of Ukraine in 2024”

“I made the decision in 2024 to run for president – president of Ukraine. I will be competing for this position with Poroshenko and Zelensky. If I win, then everything will be fine. No shells will be needed” said Wagner’s “boss” ironically.

What Kiev and London say about Bahamut

For his part, Serhii Tserevaty, a spokesman for the eastern group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told national television on Saturday that in the past 24 hours, more than 20 battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces had taken place inside the city’s territory.

Tserevati also said that most of the Russian strike groups consist of Wagner fighters reinforced by Russian paratroopers.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence, forces fighting for the Russian government have now captured most of the eastern part of Bahmut and the river in the center of the town (Bahmutka) effectively marks the front line. However, London added that Ukrainian forces still hold west of Bakhmut. “With Ukrainian forces having the ability to fire from fortified buildings on the western side, this area has turned into a death zone. So the challenge is great for Wagner’s forces trying to continue their westward advance.”the report added.

In the western part of the city, under the control of Ukraine, the military forces of Kiev have destroyed important bridges crossing of the river, which passes through a lane measuring 200×800 meters, according to the same report.

However, Ukrainian forces, as well as their supply lines, “remain vulnerable” to the possibility of encirclement of Bakhmut from the north and south sides of the city.

At the mercy of the Russian bombing of Kherson and Donetsk

Meanwhile, three civilians were killed Saturday by Russian shelling that hit Kherson in southern Ukraine, while another civilian died in the eastern Donetsk region, regional officials said.

Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said three people, including an elderly woman, were also injured by artillery fire that hit the town.

“Today the Russian conquerors hit Kherson again. On a street near the remains of a shop, three people were killed in the bombing,” Prokudin told Ukrainian television, adding that a car, several buses and commercial property were damaged.