Putin’s “final deadline” for Bakhmut is May 8th, but his last “final deadline” was April 30th. And before that it was March 31st.
Why not just declare they’ve taken it? Like they did in the Salt Mines, and last year in Mariupol, before they wiped out the Azov units when the Red Cross negotiated their safe passage from the underground factories?
Then they can have the May Day parade with workers carrying banners, soldiers goose stepping and rockets on tracked vehicles, with members of the Politburo, er Duma, overlooking it all steely eyed and sternly.