Wagner Group Fighters Make Major Bakhmut Breakthrough—ISW

Troops from the private military company Wagner have likely seized the industrial complex in the north of Bakhmut as they continue to make gains in the city fiercely fought over for months.

Kremlin-friendly media outlets reported in mid-March that Ukrainian troops were holed up in the corridors of the Vostokmash building in the Artyomovsk Metal Processing Plant (AZOM) zone. Bakhmut's Russian name is Artyomovsk.

Russian military bloggers chronicling the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine said on Tuesday that Wagner fighters had captured the complex. The troops were working to clear the area of Ukrainian forces who were left there.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said these claims chimed with geolocated footage of Kremlin-friendly journalists moving about the complex with ease. The hosting of media personalities meant that it must be under Wagner control.

The mercenaries are likely to consolidate gains in the north and center of the city, push towards the city center, and expand the zone of control to the west, the ISW said.

Other Russian military bloggers said on Tuesday that Wagner fighters had gone closer to Bakhmut's city center and taken control of the city market. These claims were backed up by geolocated visual evidence.

The U.S. think tank said that Russian forces have made territorial gains of 5 percent over the last week and now controlled around two-thirds (65 percent) of Bakhmut.

Newsweek has emailed the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment.

The Wagner Group is headed by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin , who has repeatedly criticized the Russian defense establishment in its operation of the war.

He may be seeking to capitalize on his high profile to present himself as a contender in the 2024 presidential election. He has appeared to copy some of the media techniques employed by Vladimir Putin , the ISW noted.

Instead of his usual video statements in front of a camera with wide shots depicting him on the battlefield, Prigozhin gave an interview to Russian state journalists with the businessman in the frame at his desk across from his audience.

"Prigozhin may seek to parody Putin's cinematography style as part of a larger trolling campaign to attack the Kremlin," the ISW said, "or draw tacit parallels between Prigozhin and the office of the Russian presidency."

Prigozhin has sarcastically said that he would like to run for the presidency of Ukraine . This was interpreted by some as promoting his push for Russia's election, which is also scheduled for 2024.

Prigozhin has also raised questions over whether Moscow was fighting against NATO and over the presence of Nazis in Ukraine, key justifications given by Vladimir Putin for his full-scale invasion. This behavior "is advancing a narrative among Russian society that Prigozhin has larger political aspirations in Russia," the ISW said.