The founder of the “Wagner” forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced the destruction of an armored car in the Donetsk Republic, inside of which Igor Tantsyura, commander of the territorial defense forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was allegedly located.
Prigozhin said: “Today at 13:25, the artillery units of the Wagnerites destroyed an armored car in the area of the Chasov Yar district of the city of Bakhmut (Artemovsk), presumably, inside which was the commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Igor Ivanovich Tantsyura, heading to the city.
The founder of the Wagner forces added that this information has not yet been verified.
On May 16, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Major General Tantsyura to the post of commander of the Territorial Defense Forces. Prior to that, Tantsyura served as Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces of Ukraine.
For his part, the press secretary of the command of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Denis Zelensky denied the information about the death of commander Igor Tantsyura.
“We officially refute these accusations,” Zelensky told the Sospilny newspaper. “Everyone is alive and well,” he added, but did not say who.
The city of Artyomovsk is located north of the large city of Gorlovka and is considered an important transport hub for supplying the group of Ukrainian troops in the Donbass, and since last summer there have been fierce battles for control of the city.
Earlier, the founder of the “Wagner” forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that Russian troops advanced in the area of the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) by about 120 meters, establishing more than 45 thousand square meters under their control.
The press service of the Russian businessman quotes him as saying: “(Subdivisions) of Wagner’s units advanced in Bakhmut (at a distance) up to 120 meters, and our units captured 45,000 square meters.”
Source: News + RT
