US: Prigozhin's 'obsession' with Bakhmut is driven by his desire to seize control of salt and gypsum deposits

US authorities believe that the Wagner PMC's desire to seize Bakhmut, which has been the subject of fierce fighting for several months, is dictated by the "obsession" of the PMC's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to take control of salt and gypsum deposits in the Donetsk region. This was reported to Reuters by a White House spokesman, whose name was not disclosed.

Radio Liberty suggested that this was about the Artemovsk salt deposit, the largest in Europe, located just outside Bakhmut. The publication also notes that recently, in the area of ​​the city of Soledar, where the Artemsol salt processing plant is located, the intensity of military actions has increased, in which PMC fighters are directly involved.

Information about the battles for Soledar was also confirmed by Yevgeny Prigozhin: “Yes, the Wagner PMC fighters and exclusively the Wagner PMC fighters are close to taking Soledar,” Prigozhin’s press service quoted him as saying.

In addition, the White House representative also provided an estimate of the losses of the Wagner PMC mercenaries. According to him, more than four thousand PMC fighters were killed during the war, and about ten thousand more were wounded. More than a thousand Wagner mercenaries died in the last month alone near Bakhmut. The US authorities estimate the total number of PMCs at 50 thousand people.

• The city of Bakhmut (until 2016, Artemovsk) is an important transport hub in Donbass, serving as a Ukrainian fortified area that covers the offensive routes to Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Seversk, and Toretsk. Since the second half of May, Russian troops have been conducting powerful rocket attacks on Bakhmut, and by August they had reached one of the outskirts of the city. Since the end of the summer, the Russians, represented mainly by Wagner PMC fighters, have been waging fierce battles in this direction.
• In October 2022, the United States accused Wagner of exploiting natural resources in the Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan and other countries to finance Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia denied the accusations.