Wagner Group founder: mercenary group captures village near Bakhmut

The Wagner Group has taken control over the village of Blahodatne near Bakhmut, founder of the mercenary company Yevgeny Prigozhin said.

“Wagner Group units have captured Blahodatne. Blahodatne is under our control,” he issued a brief comment.

His press service also published an audio message reportedly sent by the commander of an assault unit that reached the village’s southern border.

Sounds of shots and a man’s voice can be heard in the message. “Blahodatne is under our control,” he shouts.

There have been no official comments from either the Russian Defence Ministry or Kyiv.

“Blahodatne is located along the highway that leads to Seversk, the loss spells serious issues for the Ukrainian army defending Bakhmut,” BBC News Russian reports.

At the same time, the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted in its daily report that conventional Russian troops had joined forces with Wagner Group forces near Bakhmut.

It is claimed that the private military company failed to achieve any significant breakthroughs in this area following Soledar’s capture on 12 January, which prompted the official command to send its troops to the site.

“Combat footage posted on January 20 indicates Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) are operating around Bakhmut as the footage shows a Russian BMD-4M — niche mechanized equipment exclusively used by the VDV,” the ISW reported.

A source also shared that airborne forces and the Wagner Group conducted joint operations in Bakhmut on 27 December. Experts believe that regular Russian forces are replacing Wagner units exhausted in long battles. Therefore, the ISW notes that the fighting for Bakhmut is still yet to reach its high point.

Earlier, the ISW surmised that Russian President Vladimir Putin was no longer relying on the Wagner Group over its fruitless attempts to capture Bakhmut and was now focusing on reforming the regular army.

“Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigozhin’s star has begun to set after months of apparent rise following his failure to make good on promises of capturing Bakhmut with his own forces,” the ISW noted.

On 12 January, the Russian Defence Ministry reported that Ukraine’s Soledar had been captured without mentioning the Wagner Group’s role in the operation, which provoked a wave of discussions online. Prigozhin criticised the agency over the lack of praise, noting that this treatment of Wagner fighters lowers their morale. The Defence Ministry later officially recognised the Wagner Group’s efforts in the capture of Soledar.