2023-05-06 19:54:45
The leader of the paramilitary group Wagner asked the Russian Defense Minister on Saturday to hand over Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s troops to their positions in the Ukrainian town of Bakhmout, which he announced he would leave soon to protest against a lack of ammunition.
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“I ask you to give an order of battle on the transfer, before midnight on May 10, of the positions of the Wagner group to the units of the Akhmat battalion in the locality of Bakhmout and its surroundings,” said Yevgeny Prigojine, in a letter published by its press service to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The chief of Wagner specifies to make this request “because of a long shortage of ammunition”, accusing the staff of having provided him only 32% of the ammunition requested since last October.
The day before, Mr. Prigojine threatened to withdraw his troops next week from the city of Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, accusing the Russian general staff of depriving him of ammunition.
On Telegram, the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov then affirmed Friday evening that his fighters were ready to occupy the Russian positions in the city, if the Wagner group indeed withdrew its units.
“Our fighters are ready to advance and occupy the city. It would take a few hours”, assured Ramzan Kadyrov, indicating that his troops had already fought alongside those of Wagner in the Ukrainian cities of Popasna, Severodonetsk and Lissytchansk, conquered by Russia.
On Saturday morning, Yevgeny Prigojine, in a separate message, thanked Mr. Kadyrov for his proposal, assuring that Bakhmout, which has been resisting Russian attacks since last summer, would be “undoubtedly taken” by Chechen troops.
Wagner’s chief has been accusing the Russian general staff for months of not providing enough ammunition to his men to deprive them of a victory at Bakhmout, which would overshadow the regular army.
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