MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it had completely captured the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bahmut, ending the longest and bloodiest battle since a 15-month war.

Everything on the topic:

Russian invasion of Ukraine 10537

The attack on the largely razed city was led by fighters from the Wagner mercenary group, whose leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said earlier in the day that his troops had finally driven Ukrainians out of the city's last built-up zone.

Kiev rejected Prigozhin's claim. The capture of Bakhmut, dubbed by Russia by its Soviet name Artyomovsk, would be Moscow's first major victory in the conflict in more than 10 months.

"As a result of the offensive actions of Wagner's landing assault detachments, with the support of artillery and aviation of the Southern Group of Troops, the liberation of Artyomovsk is completed," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

There was no immediate reaction from Kiev to this claim, which comes after a week during which Ukrainian forces achieved their fastest victories in the last six months in northern Bahmut and on the southern flanks.

Prigozhin, who has repeatedly denounced the regular Russian army for abandoning positions previously captured by his men, said in five days his own forces would withdraw from Bakhmut for rest and hand over the ruins to the regular army.

"Today at 12 noon, Bahmut was completely captured," Prigozhin said in a video in which he appeared in combat uniform in front of a number of his fighters with Russian flags and Wagner banners.

Prigozhin declares full control of Bahmut, Ukrainian army denies

Ukrainian military spokesman Sergei Cherevatiy told Reuters in response to Prigozhin's remarks ahead of Russia's announcement of the capture of the city: "That's not true. Our troops are fighting in Bakhmouth." Whether Ukrainian forces left Bahmut or not, they are slowly withdrawing inside it, to separate groups of buildings on the western edge of the city.

Meanwhile, in the north and south direction, Ukrainian forces have recaptured territory from Russian troops.

Russia admitted it lost some ground around Bakhmut last week, while denying Prigozhin's claims that flanks around the city, guarded by regular troops, had been breached.

Kiev says its goal in Bahmut was to draw Russian forces from elsewhere on the front to the city in order to inflict heavy losses on them in manpower and weaken Moscow's defensive line elsewhere ahead of a planned major counter-offensive.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Bahmut