 Ukrainian forces could retake Bakhmut. As Wagner Group troops evacuate Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces may have a chance to retake the war-torn city but it's unclear if that will be Kiev's priority as a long-awaited counter-offensive looms. Business Insider wrote it. Russia claimed victory over Bakhmut earlier this month after a long and costly battle for both sides of the war. Shortly after, Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozin announced he would be withdrawing his mercenaries from the city on June the 1st after Russia claimed full control of the city. Regular Russian troops will replace Wagner's forces Prigozin said. That transition, coupled with notably low tempo and movement from Russian forces in the area, leaves an opening for Ukraine to potentially retake Bakhmut according to an assessment from the Institute for the Study of War. While Bakhmut may have been a symbolic win for Moscow, Ukrainian officials such as President Volodymyr Zelensky still assert that Kiev's forces are active in the city limits. Now they're saying those Ukrainian troops can continue to make gains around the city and stage a semi-encirclement to drive Russia out according to the Washington Post. Nonetheless, the attrition-style fighting of Bakhmut has left Russian forces exhausted ahead of Ukraine's long-anticipated counter-offensive.