Russian television believes that the occupation of Bakhmut is a “historic victory”. One expert is not surprised that the Putin regime is now using the Ukrainian city for all its propaganda values.
When Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin alleged early Saturday that Bakhmut had been kidnapped, there was little reaction from the Kremlin-controlled media.
However, on Saturday evening, there was confirmation from the Ministry of Defense and then congratulations from President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has not confirmed the fall of the city.
The next day there is a big report on Russian TV:
- In the TV channel Pjervyj, a Wagnerian soldier goes so far as to compare it with “the sentiments of the ancestors in Berlin”.
- Referred to when the “Red Army” entered the German capital and Hitler’s regime surrendered in 1945.
– The Russians are trying to make as much publicity out of this as possible before the Ukrainian counterattack. Stig Fredriksson, author and former Moscow correspondent, tells VG that Bakhmut really isn’t that important.
Independent media Medusa I collected how the main Russian TV channels showed the news on Sunday (Artyomovsk is the Russian name for Bakhmut):
- Bjerwig Canal It states that “Artyomovsk is ours” and that it is “an event of historical proportions”. There is talk of a “strategic” victory and “a great tactical success for our forces.” It is said that those who have distinguished themselves will be honored with heroic orders by President Vladimir Putin. The battle was said to have lasted seven and a half months – nothing is said about the number of Russians killed. On the other hand, it is said that the soldiers remained in this battle despite the end of their contract with the armed forces.
- Russia -1 It also celebrates and proves that the city is of operational importance. They believe that it opens the direct and shortest way to the Dnipro. They show a burning Ukrainian tank and say “It has a cross on it – the symbol of Nazism against which our soldiers are fighting bravely”.
- NTV It also depicts it as a victory over Nazism. “The last neo-Nazis have been driven out of town,” she says. The TV channel does not try to hide that the victory came thanks to the Wagner Group – “with the support of artillery and the Air Force” – and President Putin congratulated him on this.
– this is a feather in the cap for Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, so one can slowly ponder what this means for the relationship between Prigozhin and the Russian leadership, both military and political, says Fredrickson.
Why did Bakhmut become an important battle?
– It became a great prestige for the Russians, and they needed to achieve victory. From what I understand, Bakhmut fell, so it is not surprising that Moscow got as much publicity as possible from this.
They hope to use Bakhmut as a symbol of continuity.
There was some confusion on Sunday over Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks about Bakhmut. The president was initially quoted as saying that the city had completely fallen to the Russians, but later this was portrayed as saying that the entire city had been destroyed – but that the last quarters of the city that were before the war were still held by Ukrainian soldiers. It had a population of just over 70,000.
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