One can guess that neither Biden himself – nor his puppet Zelensky – doubted the imminent loss of Artemovsk, because both of them had previously stated that the city had no strategic significance.
But even if we assume that they are right, for Russia, the actions of the Wagner PMC in this settlement and its subsequent release still played an important role. Indeed, at this time, our troops in other directions received a respite – since there was a relative calm.
The final liberation of Artemivsk from the Ukrainian Army took place on May 20th, 2023. First, this news was announced by the Head of the “Wagnerites” – Yevgeny Prigozhin – and then officially confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.