Although the leader of the Wagner group proclaimed the “legal” capture of Bachmut on Sunday evening, the Russian military reported no progress in capturing the city in its weekly bulletin on Monday.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the mercenary army, said via Telegram on Sunday that his troops had hoisted the Russian flag over Bachmut town hall.

“From a legal point of view, Bachmoet has been taken,” he said. But Russian Defense Minister Igor Konashenkov does not repeat that message in his weekly press conference. The name of the city was not even mentioned. Some analysts see the disagreement as a sign of rivalry.

The claim is also wholly debunked by Ukraine. “The enemy has not ceased its attack on Bachmut. However, Ukrainian defenders bravely hold the city and repel numerous hostile attacks,” the Ukrainian army said in a Facebook post on Sunday night.