By Jake Cordell
(Reuters) -Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the seizure of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine was critical to punching a hole in Ukrainian defences and would allow Moscow's forces to mount further offensive operations deeper inside the country.
Russian forces have been waging an intense campaign for months to seize control of the small city in what would become their first significant territorial advance since last summer.
"The liberation of Artyomovsk continues," Shoigu said in televised remarks, using the old Soviet-era name for Bakhmut.
"The city is an important hub for defending Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. Taking it under control will allow further offensive actions to be conducted deep into Ukraine's defensive lines," Shoigu said.
The heavily industrialised Donbas region of eastern Ukraine comprises Donetsk and Luhansk, which are both claimed by Russia along with two other Ukrainian regions as its own territory, claims Kyiv and the West reject as illegal.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group which has been spearheading the battle for the city, said last Friday his forces had "practically surrounded" Bakhmut.
But he said on Monday he needed the regular army to supply him with more ammunition, reinforcements and covering support to win.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Ukrainian troops would keep defending the city, as talk of an imminent Ukrainian retreat continued to swirl.
'SKINNING THE BEAR'
Asked about Shoigu's comments on Tuesday, Prigozhin said he did not know what would happen after the capture of Bakhmut, but called on Russia not to get ahead of itself.
"They say 'don't sell the skin until you've caught the bear,' but nobody talks about the consequences of trying to remove the skin while the bear is still alive," he said in a post on Telegram.
The mercenary boss and defence ministry have been embroiled in a long-running row over Russia's campaign in Ukraine.
In his latest criticism, Prigozhin accused Shoigu of hobbling the Bakhmut offensive by not supplying his Wagner forces with enough ammunition. The defence ministry has rejected such allegations in the past.
In his post on Tuesday, Prigozhin made pointed reference to the defence minister, saying he "had not seen him in Bakhmut" and said Wagner forces were coming up against well-equipped Ukrainian forces, who could number up to 20,000 in strength.
"Zelenskiy is not running out of people, thousands more are being thrown into the 'meat grinder'. They have ammunition and weapons," he said.
Prigozhin also appeared to criticise Shoigu for publicly commenting on what Russian forces might do after seizing Bakhmut.
"Why Sergei Kuzhugetovich (Shoigu) commented on that I do not know ... perhaps in order to please the Russian audience. Perhaps to annoy Zelenskiy," he said.
In his own televised remarks, Shoigu said the West was increasing its arms deliveries to Ukraine but said that would not change the course of events on the battlefield saying Russian forces were inflicting heavy losses on Ukrainian troops.
Both Kyiv and Moscow have said they have killed significant numbers of enemy troops in the battle for Bakhmut.
Reuters is unable to verify accounts of battlefield losses. While military analysts treat both sides' claims of fatalities and casualties with scepticism, it is acknowledged that the months-long fight for control of Bakhmut has turned into possible the bloodiest campaign of the year-long war.