Russian forces take control over 95% of Artyomovsk — Prigozhin

Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin
©Konkord Company Press Service/TASS

Russian forces control about 95% of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut) and the remaining 5% have no influence on the progress of the special military operation, Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin says.

"Almost 95% of the city territory has been captured in Artyomovsk to date. The remaining 5% do not play any role for the so-called development of progress and the march of the ‘Red Army’ further to the West. Two square kilometers do not influence the progress of the military operation at all," he said, cited by the Prigozhin’s press office in its Telegram channel.

Nobody communicated with him about the shortage of ammunition, Prigozhin said. "The personnel of Wagner PMC will be preserved for the next operations in interests of Russia," he noted.

The Wagner PMC founder also said he had no ambitions of leaving his mark as the person "that took Artyomovsk." "I have ambitions to be of service to our nation and state," he added.

Wagner to hand key Donbass city over to Chechens – Prigozhin

The Wagner Group private military company will withdraw from the key Donbass city of Artyomovsk (known in Ukraine as Bakhmut) on May 10, the group’s chief, Evgeny Prigozhin, has announced. The PMC’s positions will be taken over by the Chechen Special Forces Unit ‘Akhmat’, he said.

Prigozhin claimed to have been in contact with Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic, to perform the maneuver. The Wagner leader expressed confidence that the Chechen units will capture Artyomovsk completely, of which just a few blocks in the city's western part remain under the control of Ukrainian forces.

“I am already in contact with [Kadyrov’s] representatives in order to start transferring positions immediately, so that on May 10, at 00:00, exactly at the moment when, according to our calculations, we will completely exhaust our combat potential, our comrades will take our places and continue the assault on the city of Bakhmut,” Prigozhin said in a statement on Saturday.

Later in the day, Kadyrov released a short video address stating that he has already raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, notifying him of his willingness to replace the Wagner fighters in the city. The Akhmat fighters are already on standby and ready to be redeployed to Artyomovsk, he added.

“The soldiers are on high alert, we are only waiting for orders. Several units have already set off towards the special military operation zone,” Kadyrov stated.

Prigozhin announced the looming withdrawal of his forces from the city earlier this week, citing heavy losses and a shortage of artillery munitions. The group will be redeployed from the frontlines to rear camps to “lick their wounds,” he said.

Artyomovsk has seen intense fighting in recent months, with the raging battle commonly referred to as the “Bakhmut meat grinder.” The city is a key road and rail junction in Donbass, with both sides reportedly suffering significant casualties during the struggle for control over it. Kiev has continuously poured reserves into the city, which remains partially surrounded by Wagner and other Russian troops.

Zaporozhye NPP Head Says Staff Ensuring Nuclear Safety, No Need to Evacuate Employees

The staff of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP) is doing everything necessary to ensure nuclear safety, with the operation of all blocks suspended, and there is no need to evacuate employees now, Yuri Chernichuk, the plant's chief, said on Saturday.

"The staff of the Zaporozhye NPP is doing everything necessary to ensure nuclear safety. There are no reasons for concern. All blocks are shut down. The equipment is maintained in accordance with all necessary regulations under strict control of radiation safety standards," Chernichuk said on Telegram.

Moreover, there is currently no need to evacuate the NPP staff and Enerhodar residents, the plant's head added.

©Sputnik / Konstantin Mikhalchevsky

Located on the left bank of the Dnipro River, the Zaporozhye NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe by number of units and energy output. It went under the control of Russian forces in early March 2022 and has since been repeatedly shelled, raising international concerns over a possible nuclear accident. On October 5, the Zaporozhye NPP was placed under the control of Russian institutions in line with instructions by President Vladimir Putin.

Special operation, May 6th. Main:

▪️The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that three pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces were returned from Ukrainian captivity;

▪️Head of Chechnya Kadyrov said that "Akhmat" is ready to advance to Artyomovsk, several units have already set off in the direction of conducting a military defense;

▪️The car of Zakhar Prilepin was blown up on a highway in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the driver died, Prilepin himself was injured, Alexander Permyakov, who was detained on suspicion of involvement in the assassination attempt, admitted that he acted on instructions from the Ukrainian special services;

▪️In the Kupyansky, Krasnolimansky, Donetsk, Kherson, South-Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Kyiv lost more than 400 military and mercenaries in a day, the Russian Defense Ministry said;

▪️Two missiles of the Ukrainian OTRK "Grom-2" were shot down over the Crimea, there are no casualties or destruction, adviser to the head of the republic Kryuchkov said.

▪️Three Russian Aerospace Forces pilots were returned to Russia as a result of a prisoner swap with Ukraine, the Russian MoD says

Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 50 Ukrainian troops, two armored fighting vehicles, and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 60 Ukrainian personnel, one armored fighting vehicle, two D-30 howitzers, and one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to over 185 Ukrainian troops, one tank, four armored fighting vehicles, and two D-30 and D-20 howitzers;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Russian forces destroyed over 90 Ukrainian troops, one tank, two armored fighting vehicles, a D-30 howitzer, as well as one ammunition depot;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian troops neutralized up to 35 Ukrainian servicemen, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, as well as one US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter mortar radar;

▪️Air defenses shot down one Mi-8 helicopter, three HIMARS projectiles, one HARM anti-radar missile, and 32 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the LPR, DPR, and Kharkov region.