Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said his men were low on ammunition and he expected the military to replace troops in Bakhmut next Wednesday, undermining Russia’s long-held goal of trying to divide his neighbour.
“My men will not suffer unnecessary and unjustified losses without ammunition,” Prigozhin said in a video accompanied by a written statement of withdrawal, addressing the Russian Chief of Staff, the Ministry of Defense and the President Vladimir Putin as Supreme Commander.
The statement said “bureaucrats” had obstructed supplies despite knowing Wagner’s target time to capture the city was May 9, when Moscow celebrates Victory Day in World War II.
Prigozhin added in the clip, “If you, because of your petty jealousy, don’t want to give the Russian people the victory to seize Bakhmut, then that’s your problem.”
State news agency RIA later reported that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had assigned one of his two deputies to ensure troops had all the weapons they needed.
The Battle of Bakhmut, which Russia sees as a stepping stone to other towns still beyond its control in the industrial Donbass region, was the fiercest battle of the conflict, in which both sides lost thousands lives in a fierce war for months.
Ukrainian forces have retreated in recent weeks, but are holding out in the city to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Russians ahead of Kiev’s planned massive counterattack against invading forces along the 1,000 kilometer front line.
“Due to a lack of ammunition, our losses are increasing rapidly every day,” reads Prigozhin’s official statement on the withdrawal.
And the statement continued: “On May 10, 2023, we will be forced to transfer our positions in the Bakhmut region to Ministry of Defense units and withdraw those remaining from Wagner to logistics camps to restore our forces.”
Hoax or reality?
It’s unclear whether Prigozhin, who often makes comments that observers call “reckless,” would pull out if his men didn’t get the extra ammunition, or if his disagreement with Russian leaders was a ruse.
A senior Ukrainian official said Friday that Russia was moving Wagner fighters from the front line to Bakhmut to capture the city by VE Day on May 9.
“We now see them withdrawing (the fighters) from the entire offensive line in which Wagner’s forces are, and withdrawing (the fighters) towards Bakhmut,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said. on Ukrainian television.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
