Russia's Wagner private army captures Ukrainian city amid G7 call to end war

Russia's Wagner group in a special military operation in Ukraine has gained a "complete control" of Bakhmut on Saturday, Russian news agency Tass reported.

Following the capture in eastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the assault teams of the Wagner private military and Russian troops.

"Vladimir Putin congratulates Wagner assault teams as well as all Russian troops, who rendered the required assistance and shielded the flanks, with the completion of the operation to liberate Artyomovsk," the Kremlin's press office said in a statement on Sunday.

"Everyone, who distinguished himself in the battle, will be recommended for the state decorations," the statement added.

However, as soon as the Wagner chief claimed the capture of Bakhmut, Kyiv immediately rejected the claim and said fighting was still going on.

Bakhmut (known as Artyomovsk in Russia) is located in the northwestern part of the Donetsk People's Republic and served as a significant supply hub for the Ukrainian army in Donbass.

On August 1, 2022, fierce combat to liberate the city began.

The war for this city has been one of the most intense since the liberation of Donbass in 2014.

The Russian defence ministry also declared that the city of Artyomovsk (named Bakhmut in Ukraine) had been entirely freed during the special military operation in Ukraine, reported Russian news agency TASS.

This comes at a time when G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to stand together against Russia's "illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression" against Ukraine, according to the joint statement issued during the G7 Leaders Summit that began Saturday in Japan's Hiroshima.

The joint communique stated that the leaders of the Group of Seven countries are taking concrete steps to support Ukraine for "as long as it takes" in the face of Russia's "illegal war of aggression."

To ensure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the G7 members have urged Russia to stop its ongoing aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine.

The Russia-Ukraine war that started on February 24, 2022 has taken numerous lives and the war continues to escalate between the two nations even now.