On 20 March 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin officially announced that 70% of the town of Bakhmut (Artiomovsk) was under the control of Wagner’s fighters. At the same time, Russian forces near Avdeyevka have taken control of Krasnogorovka and Petrovskoye (Stepovoye) to the north of the city, and are already attacking the south-western outskirts of the town. In a letter officially addressed to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Wagner’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that 70% of Bakhmut (Artiomovsk) is now under the control of the “musicians”. While the city is already in a state of operational encirclement, but not yet complete physical...