INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
surrounded" by Russian forces.In a video published by his press service, Prigozhin can be seen saying that Kyiv's forces had access to
only one road leading out of the city, which has been the site of bloody fighting for months."If the professional Ukrainian army was
fighting in [Bakhmut] before, today it's mostly the elderly and children," Prigozhin said."They are fighting, but their life expectancy in
Bakhmut is now very short, one day or two..
give them a chance to leave the city," he said.The video pans to three men identified as captured Ukrainian soldiers, who ask President
Volodymyr Zelensky to meet Wagner's demands and ensure their return home.Ukraine has vowed to hold on to Bakhmut, but Kyiv's military
once-shadowy force founded by Kremlin-linked businessman Prigozhin, has taken center stage in the fight.Bakhmut, a city with a prewar
population of 70,000 once known for its sparkling wine production and salt mines, carries little strategic value but would mark the first
significant victory for Russian forces following months of battlefield setbacks.AFP contributed reporting.
