The divisions between Russia’s defense ministry and its notorious Wagner group continue to play out in public with mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin suggesting on Tuesday that Russian forces have fled their posts in Bakhmut.
In a video posted on the Telegram messaging app, President Vladimir Putin’s former ally claimed that Russian army units “fled from one of our flanks” and exposed their forces to Ukrainian assaults , who said they were “shattering the flanks,” according to multiple reports.
Priogzhin’s claims of a Russian withdrawal were echoed by Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade, which said forces from Russia’s 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade fled Bakhmut on Tuesday.
“The Third Assault Brigade thanks you for publicizing our success at the front,” the brigade said in a direct message to Prigozhin on Telegram, adding that “Wagnerites” were also among the troops who deserted their places
Prigozhin further warned that while brutal fighting continues on the Bakhmut front, which Russia has failed to fully capture despite immense efforts over the past six months, Ukrainian forces are also regrouping in the Zaporizhzhia region , an area that Western defense analysts say Kiev needs. begin to expel Russia from its borders.
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“They are absolutely clear: the counteroffensive will be on the ground, not on television,” Prigozhin added, according to The Moscow Times.
Chief Wagner said his forces, which have suffered heavy losses, will not leave their positions in Bakhmut, although he also claimed that Russian troops were abandoning their positions due to “stupid” and “orders criminals”.
“Soldiers should not die because of the sheer stupidity of their leadership,” he added.
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Prigozhin further claimed that he had also been informed that if his soldiers abandoned their positions in the Bakhmut sector, “it would be considered treason to the Motherland”.
“(But) if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones to ask who is really betraying the Motherland,” he continued, according to a Reuters translation, issuing his repeated threat to withdraw his contract soldiers from the war if they do not receive adequate supply. “Apparently, what (betraying the Motherland) is the person who signed it (the order to supply too little ammunition).”
Divisions between Wagner’s boss and the Russian defense ministry have become increasingly apparent for months.
It’s unclear where Prigozhin stands in relation to Putin, but Kremlin officials have taken steps to limit Wagner’s ability to continue bolstering his combat power, including revoking his ability to recruit imprisoned men and supply inadequate of their fighting forces on the front line.
There has also been a debate between the two warring powers over who has led the charge in the hotly contested Bakhmut sector.
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