The head of the notorious Russian mercenary group Wagner posted a video on social media on Monday in which he claimed he was flying a fighter jet that had just bombed the city of Bakhmut, the epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine.
In the very dark video, Prigozhin was wearing a pilot’s helmet and mask inside a plane flying in the dark.
“We are landing, we bombed Bakhmut,” said the businessman and Kremlin ally.
Prigozhin also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to fight him in the sky over Bakhmut, saying that he would board a MiG-29 fighter the next day.
“If you have the will, we will meet in heaven. If you win, you will take Artemovsk. [the Russian name for Bakhmut]if not, then we will go to the Dnieper [River]”, Prigozhin said.
Earlier on Monday, the Ukrainian parliament passed a resolution condemning “Wagner”, whose mercenaries are fighting alongside Russian troops, as a terrorist organization.
“We are preparing to destroy “Wagner” as a component of international terrorism,” said the head of the administration of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.
He said the confession was “a step toward prosecution [Wagner] to justice”.
Wagner’s mercenaries are involved in Moscow’s offensive on Bakhmut, which Russia has been trying to capture for months with heavy losses on both sides.
Ukraine’s defenses in the area have been weakened by recent Russian territorial gains, particularly the city of Saledar in the north.
On Saturday, Zelensky promised to fight for Bakhmut “as long as we can.”
Prigozhin said that “fierce battles are going on behind every street.”
