The statement of the head of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin about blocking the supply of ammunition to volunteers of assault detachments carrying out combat missions to liberate Bakhmut (the Soviet name Artemovsk (Bakhmut) ) does not correspond to reality. About it February 21 declared at the Russian Defense Ministry.
“The command of the joint group within the framework of the special operation pays special, constant and priority attention to providing the volunteers and servicemen of the assault units with everything necessary. All statements allegedly made on behalf of the assault units about the lack of ammunition are absolutely false,” the ministry said.
The ministry noted that “only in the last two days the total advance of the assault units in the area of the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) towards the prepared defensive positions of the nationalists amounted to more than 2.5 km “.
“Successful combat operations would not have been possible without full fire support for the offensive by Yug Group artillery, armored vehicles and other firearms. Despite the difficult weather conditions in the region of the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) , over the past few days 18 sorties of assault aircraft were carried out in support of the offensive of the assault detachments,” the report said.
According to the Ministry of Defense, during the two-day period from February 18 to 20, 1,660 multiple rocket launcher rockets, 10,171 large-caliber gun and mortar munitions and 980 tank munitions were delivered to the volunteers from the assault detachments.
All requests for the supply of ammunition for the assault units are processed as soon as possible, assured the department.
“In the next few days, all ammunition requests submitted for February will be fully supplied for assault units. On February 25, ammunition deliveries of the entire range will begin in accordance with the request submitted for March. In total, on l he past year, the ammunition needs of the assault brigades were met at 140% of the requests received,” the ministry said in a press release.
An hour after the statement of the Ministry of Defense in the telegram channel “Press Service of Prigozhin” appeared an audio recording in which a man with a voice similar to the voice of a businessman claims that the “Wagnerites” do not receive 80% of the amount of ammunition required for combat missions. “As for other volunteer units, there are none on Bakhmut, there is Wagner PMC,” he said.
Prigozhin called the information provided by the Russian military department “a spit in the direction of Wagner PMC.” He noted that at the request of the military prosecutor’s office or military counterintelligence, he is ready to “immediately” provide all requests for ammunition and information on their quantity received.
February 17 gunners and combat medics PMC “Wagner” checked in a video message was sent to the Russian Ministry of Defense in which they complained about the lack of weapons and ammunition at the front, which is why “hundreds” of servicemen are dying every day. February 20, Wagner PMC founder Evgeny Prigozhin reported that the ammunition problems in Russia remain “unresolved”. At the same time, he noted that “generals, officers help with all their might, sometimes they violate military laws in order to give us extra ammunition.” February 21 Prigogine accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov in an attempt to destroy the Wagner PMC. According to him, the leadership of the Department of Defense issues “orders right and left, which say that the Wagner PMC must not only not give ammunition, but also not help with air transport.”
