Monday's stunt, when Yevgeny Prigozhin held a Russian flag in his hands and declared that his "Wagner" mercenary soldiers have finally conquered the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, probably marks the end of the Russian winter offensive. It was just a charade, of course.
The footage was shot at night, in front of a nondescript administration building that signifies nothing in particular. Even Mr Prigozhin admitted that it was only a victory "from a legal point of view", ie he was standing on a street-corner that he wanted us to believe -- well, wanted Russians to believe was really Bakhmut city's centre.
Ukrainian troops held 60% of Bakhmut yesterday, and they probably still hold 59% of it today. Frankly, it wouldn't matter if they had lost Bakhmut; they'd just move back to long-prepared defences on the ridge west of the town. But when a costly four-month Russian offensive ends with an average advance of maybe five kilometres, the audience demands closure.
