Russia said today that it has blockaded Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut and is blocking any reinforcements from being sent to the city, suggesting Russian forces are poised to capture the city, which has been at the center of fighting since last summer.

In a comment to AFP, the Ukrainian military immediately denied this, saying it continues to supply its troops in Bakhmut and inflict “crazy casualties” on the enemy every day.

AFP could not independently confirm these statements.

The head of Wagner’s mercenary army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose fighters are on the front lines in Bakhmut, said for his part that it was still “early” to talk about a complete encirclement of the city.

Bahamut, a town of around 70,000 before the war which is now completely destroyed, has been the scene of fierce fighting for months.

Because of the long duration of the fighting and the heavy losses suffered by both camps, it has become a symbol of the battle between Russians and Ukrainians for control of the Donbass industrial region, Moscow’s stated goal.

“Wagner’s assault groups are continuing high-intensity military operations to push the enemy out of districts in the center of Artyomovsk (the Russian name for Bakhmut), the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily bulletin today.

“Russian airborne troops are supporting the attack groups from the flanks, preventing the sending of Ukrainian army reserves to the city and the possibility of retreat (from Bakhmut) of enemy units,” he continued.

The Ukrainian army contacted by AFP denied any blockade of its soldiers.

“We can fully communicate with our troops both thanks to technical means but also to deliver food, ammunition, medicine, all the necessary things, and to recover our wounded,” said Serhii Tserevaty, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military.

“Our forces are maintaining their defense, inflicting insane losses on the enemy every day,” he added, clarifying that the Ukrainian artillery was “constantly” firing at the Russian cannons so that they could not concentrate their fire on the supply lines to Bakhmut.

For his part, Prigozhin was more circumspect than the Russian military in a message posted by Wagner’s owner’s press service on the Telegram messaging app.

“The Ukrainian army is still bringing reinforcements and moving them into the city. “Difficult and bloody battles are ongoing, so it is premature to speak of a complete encirclement of Bahamut,” he said.

“At least 80% of Bahamut is under our control, the remaining parts of the city are stubbornly resisting,” he added.