2023-05-06 23:53:02
The head of the Russian private military “Wagner” group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Saturday that he had not yet received any additional ammunition from Moscow, before the expected withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut due to heavy losses and insufficient supplies.
“Until today, no one has come to provide us with the necessary ammunition … to provide it in the necessary size. There can be no attack without destroying the enemy’s weapons … without defeating the enemy’s (combat) systems,” Prigozhin added in an audio message on his media service channel on Telegram.
He pointed out that the “Wagner” forces lacked ammunition and might not continue any further attacks near the city, which has been under Russian siege for regarding ten months.
He continued, “Because I will lead more men to certain death. On the tenth of May, we will start withdrawing units.”
He said his forces had captured 95 percent of Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that had a population of more than 70,000 before the war.
He concluded, “The remaining five percent does not constitute any importance in the so-called successful advance and in the (Russian) Red Army’s march to the west (western Ukraine).”
Russia’s plan to “punish Wagner”
Leaked US intelligence documents revealed the features of the raging dispute between the Russian army and the “Wagner” group, according to the “Washington Post”.
Prigozhin repeatedly entered into public disputes with the Russian Ministry of Defense over the Ukraine war, and complained regarding Moscow, which does not provide his forces with sufficient ammunition, according to his statements, and said that as a result, Wagner suffered heavy and unnecessary losses.
Prigozhin also criticizes the Russian Ministry of Defense, saying that it “steals Wagner’s victories,” by claiming that its regular forces have made gains near Bakhmut.
On Friday, the “Wagner” forces announced plans to withdraw from Bakhmut, which is witnessing the fiercest battles in the Ukraine war, by May 10, due to a shortage of ammunition and recorded losses.
The Washington Post report
• The newspaper reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin is siding with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in the escalating conflict with Wagner.
• She added that “Prigozhin’s loud statements fell on deaf ears” from Moscow, noting that the threat to abandon the fighting in Bakhmut is a last attempt to cling to a prominent role in the Ukraine war.
• According to leaked US intelligence documents, the Russian military leadership is “disappointed” with Prigozhin’s public statements, indicating that they have discussed how to respond to his criticisms.
• Officials of the Russian Defense Ministry considered the idea of ”launching a public campaign to discredit Prigozhin by proxy,” according to the same documents.
• One document described as “top secret” stated: “Officials initially noted that if the Ministry of Defense was going to try to counter Prigozhin’s public statements, they should find allies in the same position to fight him rather than doing it themselves.”
• The document added: “However, they were ultimately unsure how the Ministry of Defense might successfully wage an information war on Prigozhin, as long as the Russian government did not prevent him from issuing public statements.”
• The document indicated that “the information was obtained by intercepting or eavesdropping on communications.”
• It is noteworthy that Prigozhin said on Saturday that he intends to hand over the areas controlled by “Wagner” in Bakhmut, to Chechen forces led by President Ramzan Kadyrov, apparently referring to his group’s withdrawal from the city.
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