Yevgeny Prigozhin demands that the Kremlin send more ammunition to the fighting in Bakhmut.
The head of the Wagner Group threatens to withdraw his forces if the demands are not met.
– Should we stay or should we go? he says in a recent interview with a pro-Russian military blogger.
At the beginning of April, the head of the paramilitary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, stated that they had taken over the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, where fierce fighting is going on. The information has been refuted from the Ukrainian side, including by the head of the army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, who said on Monday that Russia had failed to capture the city despite “maximum effort”, according to AP.
At the same time, there are reports that Yevgeny Prigozhin is worried about Ukraine’s defenses around Bachmut. The American think tank ISW writes that the Wagner Group is afraid of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Prigozhin said this weekend that the situation on the battlefield must change drastically for the Wagner group to continue helping Russia in the war. He has also renewed his appeal for more weapons and ammunition from the Kremlin.
“Prigozhin is likely trying to get access to more ammunition when Putin again changes the Russian military leadership in a way that may benefit Prigozhin,” writes the think tank.
Threatens to leave
If the Wagner Group does not receive more weapons and ammunition, the Wagner Group may withdraw from Bachmut altogether, Prigozhin stated in an interview with the pro-Russian military blogger Semyon Pegov, reports CNN.
– I appeal to Sergei Shoigu with a request to give us ammunition immediately. If this is refused, I believe it is necessary to inform the commander-in-chief about the existing problems, as well as make a decision about the possibilities of continuing to station units in Bachmut, given the lack of ammunition, he says.
In the interview, he also says that it is a matter of “days and not weeks” before the Wagner group’s equipment runs out.
– Should we continue our attacks or not? Should we stay or should we go? he says.
During the course of the war, Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. In the interview, he also talked about how the row with Moscow is not yet completely over, according to CNN.