The Russian mercenary troop Wagner is now to receive the required ammunition and reinforcements for the continuation of the fighting around Bakhmut. Mercenary chief Prigoschin then indicated that his men would remain in the region.
The head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, says he received a “promise” from the Russian army for more ammunition after threatening to withdraw the Wagner fighters from the front-line town of Bakhmut. “They promised to give us all the ammunition and equipment we need to continue the actions,” Prigozhin said in an audio message released by his press service on Sunday.
He was assured “that everything necessary will be made available,” added the mercenary leader.
Prigozhin had previously sharply criticized the Russian military commanders for the situation in Bakhmut and threatened to withdraw his fighters from there. The city is the epicenter of Ukraine’s struggle against Moscow’s forces. The Wagner group has been leading the months-long Russian attack on Bakhmut and has almost captured the city.
Prigozhin had repeatedly threatened the withdrawal of the Wagner mercenaries from Bakhmut
While Prigozhin had threatened the withdrawal of his fighters several times in the past, the emotional choice of words and direct criticism of individual military leaders in the video message released on Friday were unprecedented. A “senseless death” threatened the Wagner fighters “due to a lack of ammunition,” explained Prigozhin. “On May 10, 2023, we will have to hand over our positions at Bakhmut to MoD units and Wagner units will have to withdraw to lick our wounds.”
On Sunday, the Wagner boss said that General Sergei Surovikin would from now on make “all decisions regarding Wagner’s military actions in cooperation with the defense minister”. He was “the only person with general’s stars in the army who knows how to fight,” Prigozhin claimed.
Surovikin was commander of Russian forces in Ukraine from October 2022 to January 2023. After the Russian army withdrew from Kherson, he was replaced by Valery Gerasimov. The latter has often been criticized by Prigozhin in the past.
Source: Stern
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