Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is said to have offered Ukraine information on the positions of Russian troops – in exchange for Ukrainian withdrawal from Bachmut.
It appears from the Pentagon leak that Washington Post took part in.
The fighting for Bachmut has raged for months and has been described as the bloodiest of the war. On the Russian side, the paramilitary Wagner group has played a significant role.
Wagner Group soldiers have died by the thousands, and leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has repeatedly sparred publicly with Russian military commanders, who he claims have failed to equip their forces.
Now the Washington Post can reveal that Prigozhin allegedly offered Ukraine important information about the positions of Russian troops in exchange for a Ukrainian withdrawal from Bachmut. The newspaper has spoken to several sources who confirm that Prigozhin has been in contact with Ukrainian intelligence services on several occasions.
When the newspaper interviewed Zelenskyi, the Ukrainian leader did not want to comment on the information.
– It is about military intelligence, he said and claimed that the Pentagon leaks benefited Russia.
Low Russian morale
According to the newspaper, Prigozhin allegedly told Ukrainian intelligence that the Russian army was short of ammunition. He also advised Ukraine to launch an attack on the Crimean Peninsula, as Russian morale was low.
Bachmut is described as a ghost town and lies almost in ruins. The proposal is said to have been presented to Ukraine in January, at the same time that the Wagner Group was under heavy pressure from a Ukrainian offensive. According to the newspaper, Ukraine turned down the offer because it did not trust Prigozhin.
The Wagner leader calls the leak nonsense and denies that he has offered the information.