Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has clarified his previous comments regarding the city of Bakhmut, saying that it is “not occupied” by Russia “as of today”.

Earlier, he told reporters that there is “nothing left” of the eastern city and that the Russians had “destroyed everything“

Smoke rises from buildings in this aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine on April 26, 2023

Army spokesman: Ukraine still holding parts of Bakhmut

Parts of Bakhmut remain under Ukrainian control, a spokesman for the Ukrainian army has insisted.

“Our soldiers are holding fortifications and a number of areas in the southwest of the city,” Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Army Group East, told Ukrainian television. He acknowledged that the situation was critical and that heavy fighting was continuing.

Referring to a comment from Zelenskyy that was interpreted as confirmation of Russian control of the entire city, before this was later clarified by Kyiv, Cherevaty said: “The president spoke correctly. The city has effectively been razed to the ground.”

Russia says Zelenskyy’s presence made G7 a ‘propaganda show’

Russia has accused G7 leaders of turning their summit in Japan into a “propaganda show” by inviting President Zelenskyy and called the meeting’s messages “anti-Russian” and “anti-Chinese”.

“The leaders of the G7 brought to their meeting the ringleader of the Kyiv regime they control and turned the Hiroshima event into a propaganda show,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine controls ‘insignificant’ part of Bakhmut, general says

A top Ukrainian general said Kyiv’s forces controlled an “insignificant” part of the eastern city of Bakhmut, but that the foothold would be enough to enter the devastated city when the situation changed.

In a Telegram post, General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Kyiv’s forces were advancing on Russian forces in the suburbs of Bakhmut and that they were getting closer to a “tactical encirclement” of the city.

Zelenskyy likens Bakhmut ‘total destruction’ to Hiroshima in 1945

President Zelenskyy has compared the “total destruction” of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut to the World War II devastation of Hiroshima after it was hit by a US atomic bomb.

Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of 70,000 people, has been the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Russia’s invasion.

Occasional footage from Bakhmut during months of heavy fighting have shown a city of ruins.

“The photos of Hiroshima remind me of Bakhmut. There is absolutely nothing alive. All the buildings are destroyed,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy said that Japan rebuilding of Hiroshima inspired him to rebuild Ukrainian cities and towns destroyed in the invasion.

“We dream of rebuilding all our cities that are now in ruins and every village where not a single house is left after Russian strikes.”