Chief Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin (AP)
Russia and Ukraine
Once again, the head of the Russian military Wagner Group, which is fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, criticized Moscow and launched a fierce attack on the Russian General Staff.
The head of the group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused his country’s General Staff of “treason” by refusing, he said, to deliver equipment to his members who are on the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
These statements, made by the Russian businessman, indicate an escalation of tension between the Wagner Group and the Russian army, and it seems that they are competing over territory in Ukraine.
Tension between Wagner and the army
The tension has become more evident in recent weeks with the attempt by Russian forces to seize the city of Bakhmut (east), where both the army and the Wagner Group claimed progress in sometimes contradictory statements.
In turn, Prigozhin said in an audio recording published by his media office on Telegram, “The Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense issue random orders and request not only not to deliver ammunition to the Wagner Group, but also not to assist it in the field of air transport.”
Wagner (AB)
He added, “There is a direct confrontation that is an attempt to destroy Wagner. It amounts to treason to the homeland, while Wagner is fighting for Bakhmut and incurring hundreds of human losses every day.”
Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized Russia’s top military leadership in the past, but this attack on Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, two key figures in Vladimir Putin’s regime, is clearly an escalation.
Russian defense responded
The Russian Ministry of Defense responded on Tuesday evening, issuing a statement detailing the quantities of ammunition that were provided to the “volunteer assault squadrons”, which is the name that the army seems to give to Wagner’s mercenaries.
“All requests for ammunition for the assault units are met as soon as possible,” the ministry said, promising new supplies from Saturday and stressing that information indicating a shortage was “totally wrong”.
The ministry also praised once again the Russian volunteers’ “courage” in fighting and their “dedication” and denounced “the futile attempts to sow discord that serve the interests of the enemy.”
This tension also reflects the difficulties faced by the Russian forces three days before the first anniversary of the launch of the attack on Ukraine, which the Russians expected to be accomplished quickly with the capture of Kiev.
Wagner (AB)
Battle of Bakhmut
Wagner, which has recruited thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine, has been leading the attack on Bakhmut since the summer and recently seized several towns in an attempt to besiege the city.
On Tuesday, Prigozhin also accused the General Staff of preventing the delivery of Wagner fighters “shovels that allow them to dig trenches.”