Live blog: Putin hails Bakhmut victory while Zelenskyy denies capture

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated the Wagner mercenary force and the Russian army for what he called the "liberation" of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which Russia calls by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk.

In a statement published on the Kremlin website, Putin said that the battle — the longest and bloodiest of the 15-month war — had ended in a Russian victory, and that all those who had excelled in it on Moscow's side would be given state awards.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President denied that Russian forces have captured the strategic city of Bakhmut.

"Today, they (the Ukrainian army) are performing a very important task. Today, they are in Bakhmut. At what points – I will not share," Zelenskyy said during a press conference in Hiroshima.

"But this suggests that Bakhmut is not captured by the Russian Federation as of today. There are no two or three interpretations of this," Zelenskyy said during a press conference in Hiroshima.

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1519 GMT — Top Ukraine general visits front line near Bakhmut

The commander of Ukraine's ground forces said he had visited front-line positions near the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut, where he thanked troops defending the area.

In a Telegram post, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyy also said Ukrainian forces were continuing their advance along the flanks of the ruined city.

1251 GMT — Zelenskyy made G7 a 'propaganda show': Russia

Russia accused G7 leaders of turning their summit in Japan into a "propaganda show" by inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and whipping up "anti-Russian and anti-Chinese hysteria".

"The leaders of the G7 brought to their meeting the ringleader of the Kiev regime they control and turned the Hiroshima event into a propaganda show," the Russian foreign ministry said.

The summit's "main conclusion was a bunch of announcements filled with hateful anti-Russian and also anti-Chinese messages", a statement said.

1203 GMT — Ukraine controls 'insignificant' part of Bakhmut: Ukrainian general

A top Ukrainian general said Kiev's forces controlled an "insignificant" part of the eastern city of Bakhmut, but that the foothold would be enough to enter the devastated city when the situation changed.

In a Telegram post, General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Kiev's forces were advancing on Russian forces in the suburbs of Bakhmut and that they were getting closer to a "tactical encirclement" of the city.

1053 GMT — Zelenskyy promises Kiev won't use F16s to go into Russia: Biden

US President Joe Biden said he had received a "flat assurance" from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he would not use Western-provided F-16 fighter jets to go into Russian territory.

Biden told reporters in Hiroshima, Japan, at the conclusion of a meeting of world leaders that F16 warplanes could be used "wherever Russian troops are within Ukraine and the area".

He said it was "highly unlikely" the planes would be used in any Ukrainian offensive in the coming weeks, but that Ukrainian troops could need such weapons to defend themselves against Russian forces beyond their current reach.

1024 GMT — Zelenskyy compares Bakhmut 'destruction' to Hiroshima in 1945

Zelenskyy has compared the "total destruction" of the east Ukrainian town of Bakhmut to the 1945 devastation of Hiroshima after a nuclear strike, now hosting the G7 summit.

"The photos of Hiroshima remind me of Bakhmut. There is absolutely nothing alive, all the buildings are destroyed," Zelenskyy said. "Absolute total destruction. There is nothing, there are no people."

Earlier he said Russian troops were in Bakhmut but insisted the east Ukrainian city was "not occupied". "Today they (Russian troops) are in Bakhmut," he said. "Bakhmut is not occupied by Russia today."

1024 GMT — Biden says Putin 'will not break our resolve' on Ukraine

Russia "will not break" the resolve of Ukraine's allies, Biden has said after talks with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

The American president said he had assured his Ukrainian counterpart that Washington and other backers of Kiev "will not waver, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not break our resolve as he thought he could".

0923 GMT — Ukraine says its troops have 'semi-encircled' Bakhmut

Ukrainian troops have "semi-encircled" Bakhmut and will make a Russian presence there "very difficult", Ukraine's deputy defence minister said, following Russian claims to have captured the city.

"The advance of our troops in the suburbs on the flanks, which is still ongoing, makes it very difficult for the enemy to be in Bakhmut. Our troops have semi-encircled the city," Ganna Malyar said on social media, adding that Ukrainian troops were still in control of some parts of Bakhmut.

0852 GMT — Russian-installed official says Kiev struck port city with British Storm Shadow missiles

A Russian-installed official in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region has said that Kiev struck the Russian-held port city of Berdyansk with British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

In a statement on Telegram, Vladimir Rogov said that seven missiles had been fired at the city, four of which were Storm Shadow missiles.

He said six of the missiles had been intercepted and one had fallen on the edge of the city but had not caused any casualties.

0715 GMT — Zelenskyy says 'nothing left' after Russia captures Bakhmut

Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy's spokesman has denied the Ukrainian president had confirmed the fall of Bakhmut to Russian troops in comments on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan.

"The president denied the capture of Bakhmut," spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov said on Facebook.

Zelenskyy's comments to reporters earlier in the Japanese city of Hiroshima had appeared to confirm Russia's claim it had captured the city. But it was unclear and Zelenskyy talked more about the destruction of the city.

0656 GMT — Zelenskyy meets South Korea's Yoon at G7

Ukraine's Zelenskyy has met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for the first time and discussed Kiev's efforts in its war with Russia, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima,

"Thanked (Yoon) for the humanitarian and non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, in particular, for demining vehicles. I look forward to continued cooperation," Zelenskiy tweeted.

Yoon was briefed on the situation at the front and how Ukraine is repelling Russia's "full-scale aggression," he said of Moscow's 15-month war on his country.

0648 GMT — Canada to 'support Ukraine for as long as it takes'

Canada will support Ukraine for as long and as much as necessary in its conflict with Russia, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, adding he conveyed that support to Zelenskyy at a meeting in Japan.

Trudeau made the comment at a press conference in Hiroshima as members of the G7 nations wrap up a three-day summit.

Canada would also continue to train the Ukrainian military as it has been doing since 2015, he said.

For his part, Zelenskyy said the two "discussed further cooperation in the security and defence sphere, the situation on the frontline, training of Ukrainian officers within the UNIFIER Canadian training mission."

0556 GMT — Biden announces new US arms, ammunition package for Ukraine

Biden announced a new weapons package for Kiev, as he met his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy in Hiroshima.

Biden said the package would include "ammunition, artillery, armoured vehicles" - days after giving allies the okay to transfer advanced F-16 jets to Ukraine.

0145 GMT — Macron says G7 is opportunity to convince India, Brazil

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan is an opportunity to convince big emerging states such as India and Brazil regarding Ukraine.

Macron spoke to the reporters a day after calling Zelenskyy's surprise visit at the summit a "game changer," as the two met for talks on the sidelines of the event on Saturday.

Zelenskyy's visit to the G7 for talks with allies and major developing nations is a "way to build peace", Macron added.

He said it was an "honour" to make a plane available to take Zelenskyy, first to an Arab League summit and then to the G7, saying it showed "France building peace and looking for solutions."

2242 GMT — Ukraine's Bakhmut falls to Russian troops: Moscow

Russian troops have taken control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Using the city's Soviet-era name, the Russian ministry said, "In the Artyomovsk tactical direction, the assault teams of the Wagner private military company with the support of artillery and aviation of the southern battlegroup has completed the liberation of the city of Artyomovsk."

A regional transport and logistics hub, Bakhmut is in Ukraine's Donetsk, part of the largely Russian-speaking industrialised Donbass region which Moscow wants to annex with its "special military operation".

US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and NATO alliance head Jens Stoltenberg have played down its potential fall as symbolic, as have Western military experts.

2200 GMT — Russia's Putin congratulates troops for capturing Bakhmut

Putin has congratulated the Wagner mercenary group and the national army on their claimed capture of the east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, according to a Kremlin statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

"Vladimir Putin congratulated the assault units of Wagner as well as all servicemen of units of the Russian armed forces who provided them with the necessary support and flank cover, on the completion of the operation to liberate Artemovsk [the Soviet-era name for Bakhmut]," the TASS news agency quoted the Kremlin statement as saying.

For our live updates from Saturday (May 20), click here.