Ukraine says Russia 'very far' from seizing Bakhmut, denies Prigozhin claims

FILE PHOTO: A tank is towed through a road, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, near the bombed-out eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Monday that Russian forces were "very far" from capturing the eastern town of Bakhmut and that fighting raged on around the administration building where the Wagner mercenary group claimed to have raised the Russian flag.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command told Reuters that it was unclear where Russian forces had raised their flag and that they had falsely claimed to have captured the city.