Wagner chief says his fighters are withdrawing

The head of the Russian private military contractor Wagner said Thursday that his fighters have begun withdrawing from Bakhmut as they hand control of the eastern city to Russia’s military.

The announcement comes days after Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his troops had captured the city after a grueling nine- month battle. Prigozhin said in a video published on Telegram that the handover will be completed by June 1.

Ukrainian officials have insisted pockets of resistance remain in Bakhmut, and Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces still have a foothold in southwestern outskirts.

Bakhmut delivered a badly needed win for Russia as its invasion of Ukraine has lost momentum and Russian troops brace for a Ukrainian counteroffensive using weapons from Western allies.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Thursday that Ukraine’s counteroffensive had already begun and that it would not be “a single event that will begin at a specific hour of a specific day.”

Moscow signs deal on tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

Russia and Belarus signed a deal Thursday on deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, according to statements from both countries’ defense ministries. The agreement allows Russia to store the weapons on its ally’s territory while retaining control of them.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia “is not giving nuclear weapons to Belarus” and that control over their use and deployment remains in Moscow’s hands.

Officials didn’t immediately release additional information about when the weapons would be deployed. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons would be completed in Belarus by July 1.

EFREM LUKATSKY/ AP Ukrainian tankers ride along the road toward their positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Tuesday.