Russia says Wagner private army, with help from Russian troops, seized Bakhmut

In a much-needed victory for Russian military leaders, a spokesman for the country's defense ministry announced that their forces seized the city of Bakhmut.

The eight-month battle for the city in eastern Ukraine is the longest and probably most bloody of the conflict in Ukraine.

Using the city's Soviet-era name, the Russian ministry said, "In the Artyomovsk tactical direction, the assault teams of the Wagner private military company with the support of artillery and aviation of the southern battlegroup has completed the liberation of the city of Artyomovsk."

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials about the latest claim.