Bakhmut city surrounded, says Russia mercenary chief

It would be Moscow’s first major victory in half'a year; situation critical’, say Ukrainians

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MOSCOW - Russian troops and mercenaries were closing off the last access routes to the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on Friday, on the cusp of Moscow's first major victory in half a year after the bloodiest fighting of the war.

Mr Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's Wagner mercenary force, said in a video published on Friday that the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was "practically surrounded" by his forces, and that Kyiv's forces had only one road left out.

Reuters journalists west of the city saw Ukrainians digging new trenches for defensive positions there, while the commander of a Ukrainian drone unit inside the city for months said he had been ordered to withdraw.

Mr Prigozhin's men have spearheaded the assault in eastern Ukraine for months, with Moscow regarding Bakhmut, which it calls by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk, as a useful stepping stone to seize bigger cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Bakhmut, once known for its salt mines and sparkling wine, has seen the longest and bloodiest battle of the offensive.