The owner of Russia's Wagner military contractor threatened Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscow's military command of starving his forces of ammunition.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Russia’s major Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. But he said they were undersupplied and suffering heavy losses, and would hand over operations to Russia’s regular army on May 10.
Wagner has spearheaded the struggle for control of Bakhmut, the longest - and likely bloodiest - battle of the war. More than eight months of fighting there is believed to have cost thousands of lives. A pullout by Wagner would be a huge blow to the Russian campaign. One general whom Prigozhin actively criticized was fired, but other top officials he has lashed out at appear to have retained the Kremlin’s trust. In January, Putin put Gerasimov in charge of the Russian forces in Ukraine, a move some observers also interpreted as an attempt to cut Prigozhin down to size.
Ukrainian officials were skeptical about Prigozhin’s claims of ammunition shortages. Ukraine’s military intelligence representative, Andrii Cherniak, told The Associated Press that Wagner’s forces had clearly failed in their goal of taking Bakhmut by May 9 and Prigozhin had made the statement to “justify their unsuccessful actions.”
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Wagner Group announces it will leave BakhmutHours earlier, Yevgeny Prigozhin published a heated video standing in front of what he claimed were his fighters killed in battle due to a lack of ammunition.
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Wagner boss criticizes Russia’s military leaders, threatens to withdraw from BakhmutThe owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor is threatening to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut next week. He accused Russia’s military command Friday of starving his forces of ammunition and rendering them unable to fight. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a notorious millionaire with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9. That day is a major Russian holiday marking the defeat of the Nazi Germany in World War II. But Prigozhin said his force hasn’t received enough artillery ammunition supplies from the Russian military since Monday. Known for his bluster, Prigozhin has previously made unverifiable claims and made threats he hasn’t carried out.
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Russia's Prigozhin says Wagner fighters will quit Bakhmut to 'lick our wounds'Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force, said in a sudden and dramatic announcement on Friday that his forces would pull out of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut that they have been trying in vain to capture since last summer.
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Russia's Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in UkraineThe owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor is threatening to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut next week
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Russia's Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in UkraineThe owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor threatened Friday to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut next week, accusing Russia’s military command of starving his forces of ammunition and causing them heavy losses.
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