KYIV: The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner said on Thursday that his forces had started pulling out of Bakhmut and handing over control to the Russian military, days after he claimed his troops had captured the ruined eastern Ukrainian city.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's millionaire owner with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in a video published on Telegram that the handover would be completed by June 1. There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defense Ministry.

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