Prigozhin announced the raising of the Russian flag over the administration of Artemovsk

Over the administration of Artemovsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut) in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), a Russian flag was raised with the inscription “Vladlen Tatarsky is in good memory,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner PMC.

“We hoisted the Russian flag with the inscription “Good memory to Vladlen Tatarsky” and the flag of PMC “Wagner” on the city administration of Bakhmut,” – leads Prigozhin’s words are his press service in the Telegram channel.

The founder of the PMC, whose fighters are storming the city, added that Artyomovsk was taken “legally”, while Ukrainian forces are concentrated in the western districts of the city.

Fierce fighting near Artemovsk has been going on for several months. On March 20, Prigozhin announced that the units controlled about 70% of the city. At the same time, he warned, according to available information, in late March – early April, the Armed Forces of Ukraine plan to launch a “large-scale offensive” and cut off the Wagner PMC from the Russian army.

On March 30, the head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that the actual encirclement of Artemovsk could happen in the near future. Then he added that the fighters of the PMC “Wagner” are moving in several directions “quite successfully.”

Military commissar Vladlen Tatarsky (Maxim Fomin) was killed in an explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg on April 2, where he held a creative evening dedicated to the special operation. As reported by the local Ministry of Health, more than 30 people were injured after the explosion. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under the article on murder in a generally dangerous way (part 2 of article 105 of the Criminal Code).