Wagner chief says Bakhmut under his forces' full control

"On May 20, 2023, today, at noon, Artemovsk was entirety taken," Prigozhin announced in a video posted on Telegram, according to Sputnik.

Artemovsk is located north of the large city of Gorlovka. The city is an important transport hub with many crossroads for Donbass and served as a vital center for supplying Ukrainian troops stationed in the region at the beginning of the military operation launched by Russia in Ukraine over a year ago.

Meanwhile, the Spokesman of the Eastern Command of the Ukrainian Army has dismissed the report, saying that the Ukrainian forces still control the southwest of the city.