It turns out the hohols in Bakhmut where not, in fact, defeated.
They completed the mission, which was to fight and die pointlessly until the Russians pushed them out.
So, as it turns out, this was the big win-win: everyone completed their missions.
Wagner completed the mission to take the city, and the Ukrainians completed the mission to get slaughtered like livestock.
It’s really a great feeling that everyone was able to complete what they set out to do.