Zelensky Changes Tune on 'Battle for Bakhmut' After Russian Wagner Group Takes Control

For months, the 'Battle for Bakhmut' has been a main point in Zelensky's fundraising pitch, as he gallivanted across NATO territory in search of more lethal aid.

But now that the Russian Wagner Group has taken control of the city, the "fortress" Zelensky once touted that was supposed to "change the trajectory of the war" is no more, and he refuses to acknowledge that he knowingly sent thousands of men to their death, while he used their lives to increase his own wealth...

The battle for Bakhmut, also known as Artyomovsk, has made headlines for months, with mainstream networks downplaying both Russian gains and Ukrainian losses, as Zelensky used the key Donbass city as one of his favorite references during fundraising speeches to the West.

In fact, back in December, Zelensky told the United States Congress that if they just approved enough money and weapons for Ukraine, then the battle would change the trajectory of the war.

“To ensure Bakhmut is not just a stronghold that holds back the Russian Army, but for the Russian Army to completely pull out, more canons and shells are needed. If so, just like the battle of Saratoga, the fight for Bakhmut will change the trajectory of the war for independence and for freedom,” Zelensky said.

That kind of language continued into February, when the media was obsessing over talk of a Spring counter-offensive, and Zelensky told EU politicians that he needed more lethal aid, because the city was Ukraine’s fortress, saying, “Nobody will give away Bakhmut. We will fight for Bakhmut for as long as we can. We consider Bakhmut our fortress.”

Fast-forward to present day, and not only has that over-hyped promise of a counter-offensive been just that—but now that the Wagner Private Military Company has taken full control of the city, and is preparing to hand it over to the Russian Military, Zelensky has completely changed his tune, and is now claiming that everything was destroyed and there was no point in trying to defend his “fortress” anymore.

When a reporter said, “The Russians say they’ve taken Bakhmut,” on Sunday, Zelensky replied, “I think, no. But you have to understand that there is nothing. They destroyed everything. There are no buildings … it is tragedy, but for today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts.”

But I’m old enough to remember when Zelensky refused to back down, refused to stop sending his men to die in the region that was labeled by one Ukrainian reporter as a “senseless meat grinder” because troops were being destroyed as soon as they arrived. 

Back in March, Zelensky doubled down on the vow that the Ukrainian military would not retreat—even as they were clearly encircled by Russian forces.

It didn’t matter to him, how many troops were being sacrificed, as the chief of the Wagner Group revealed that the goal for his company wasn’t just about control of the city, but about the “destruction of the Ukrainian army and the reduction of its combat potential.” 

The U.S. also made it clear that it didn’t care about the death and destruction, as Joe Biden just kept pledging more lethal aid for Ukraine, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin admitted in March that the fight was “more of a symbolic value” than a “strategic and operational value.”

Speaking of symbolic value… Zelensky’s latest fundraising pitch was delivered to G7 leaders during their summit in Hiroshima where he had the audacity to claim that Bakhmut today reminds him of photos of the Japanese city after it was attacked by an ATOMIC BOMB THAT KILLED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS in 1945.

“I can honestly say that the photos of destroyed Hiroshima remind me of Bakhmut and such other towns. There is absolutely nothing alive, all the buildings are destroyed,” Zelensky said.

Those bombs were, of course, dropped Zelensky’s richest donor, the U.S., which is still the only government to use nuclear weapons. But the truth isn’t needed for the audience the Zelensky’s propaganda is trying to reach.

While he appears to have spent the last few weeks avoiding Ukraine at all costs, Zelensky’s also avoiding the inevitable, as reports have started to warn that the U.S. could be preparing for Ukraine to transition to their long list of “frozen conflicts” of the past, in which it still receives funding and support from Washington… just not to the tune of $113 BILLION in a single year.

After all, the money is what it’s all about, right? Zelensky has shown again and again that he doesn’t care about the Ukrainian people, as he refuses peace talks and forces them to remain at war. 

Because if there’s anything that has become abundantly clear from the latest battle, it’s that Zelensky sent thousands of troops to die in Bakhmut, so that he could use their lives as fundraising talking points to secure even more wealth for himself—and that’s something everyone should be talking about.