 Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigazin said on Saturday his Weigner group fighters had completed the capture of Bakhmat, but Ukraine rejected the claim and said fighting was still going on in its eastern city. Prigazin made the claim in a video in which he appeared in combat fatigues in front of a line of fighters holding Russian flags and Weigner banners. Today, at noon, at 12 o'clock, Bakhmat has been fully captured, Prigazin said. Ukrainian military spokesperson Sergey Cherovatyai told Reuters, This is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmat. Bakhmat has been the focus of the longest and bloodiest battle of Russia's war in Ukraine, which is approaching its 16th month. Distant explosions could be heard in the background as Prigazin spoke during the video in which he said his forces would withdraw from Bakhmat from May 25 for rest and retraining, handing over control to the regular Russian army.