The head of Wagner Prigozhin said that the Ukrainian spring offensive has begun

Chapter Russian group of Wagner mercenaries Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Thursday that the long-awaited spring counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops had begun in the Bakhmut area.

Fox News Digital has been unable to independently verify Prigozhin’s claims, and heavy fighting continues for months around a salt-mining town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

The Wagner chief said “unfortunately” offensive of Ukraine was “partially successful”, although he did not go into detail on how.

Ukrainian troops Bakhmut

Ukrainian soldiers fire mortars in the direction of the city of Vuhledar, Donetsk, April 18, 2023. (Mohammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

MOSCOW DEPARTMENT DEEPES AFTER CHIEF VAGNER STATES RUSSIAN TROOPS FLEW BAKHMUTSKY POSTS ON THE TERMS OF UKRAINIAN ADVANCES

Earlier this week, he took to the messaging app Telegram to say that Ukrainian forces had “torn their flanks” as Russian soldiers allegedly abandoned their posts due to heavy casualties.

3rd Assault Brigade of Ukraine supported these claims and stated that the troops of the 72nd separate motorized rifle brigade of Russia fled from Bakhmut, although they also noted that “Wagnerites” were among the soldiers who fled from their positions.

On Thursday, Prigozhin was asked about his latest statements following comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said an expected counteroffensive had been delayed because Kyiv Waiting for help from Western allies.

Evgeny Prigozhin with bodies

SENSITIVE MATERIALS. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFENSE OR TROUBLE Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks next to the bodies of what he says are Wagner fighters killed in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict at an undisclosed location on May 5, 2023. (Concord press office/Handout via Reuters)

UKRAINE IS PREPARING FOR SPRING TENSION WHICH EXPECTS TO BE THE MAXIMUM MOBILIZATION SINCE THE WAR WITH RUSSIA

The Wagner chief dismissed the comments and said Zelenskiy was “misleading” by saying the offensive had not yet begun.

Russia has been trying to take full control of Bakhmut since last summer, and the fighting there has escalated even further after two successful Ukrainian counter-offensives in September and November last year, which pushed Russian troops out of the Kharkiv region and the city of Kherson.

But despite the grueling ground war that raged in and around Bakhmut, Russia was unable to take the city.

Ukrainian soldiers fire on the front line

Ukrainian soldiers fire at targets on the front line near Vuhledar, Donetsk, April 18, 2023.

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Western defense officials question Russia’s attempts to take over the city, noting Moscow’s lack of a significant strategic advantage.

Analysts also speculate that while a second counter-offensive could take place around Bakhmut, it is thought that Kyiv will instead focus its efforts on capturing the vital triangle in Zaporozhye Oblast.

Reuters contributed to this report.