The chief of Russia’s Wagner Group has accused a Russian military unit of fleeing positions near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, in his latest scathing attack against Russia’s military leadership.
“Today, everything is being done so that the frontline crumbles. Today, one of the defence ministry’s units fled one of our flanks, abandoning their positions. Everyone fled,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin, who had earlier threatened to pull his fighters out of Bakhmut on May 10 if he does not receive badly needed ammunition.
In a video released on Tuesday, Prigozhin said troops were fleeing because of the “stupidity” of Russian army commanders.
“A soldier shouldn’t die because of his leaders’ absolute stupidity,” he added. “The commands they receive from the top are absolutely criminal.”
Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement later in the day that “assault troops” – normally a reference to Wagner units – were “continuing to fight in the western part” of Bakhmut.
The ministry said Russian paratroopers “provided assistance”, and did not mention Prigozhin’s accusation of soldiers abandoning their posts.
Wagner fighters have spearheaded Moscow’s fight for the eastern Ukrainian city, but in recent weeks, internal divisions have deepened with Prigozhin repeatedly blaming Russia for failing to send his group enough weapons.
The battle for Bakhmut is the longest and bloodies battle of the Ukraine war so far, with each side widely understood to have suffered huge losses.
Also on Tuesday, Prigozhin said he and his mercenary fighters would be seen as traitors if they abandoned their battle positions in the city.
In his messages shared on Russia’s Victory Day – the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II – Prigozhin said that he had received a “combat order” on Monday, saying if they abandoned positions, it would be regarded as “treason against the motherland”.
“That was the message to us,” Prigozhin said.
“[But] if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones asking who is really betraying the motherland. Apparently, the one [betraying the Motherland] is the person who signed [the order to supply too little ammunition],” he added, saying he would keep pleading for more ammunition for a “few more days.”
Despite his rage towards Russia’s defence chiefs, Prigozhin has never directly criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prigozhin, an ally of the president known as “Putin’s chef” because of his company’s Kremlin catering contracts, has been sanctioned by West for his role in Wagner.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow had failed to capture Bakhmut despite a self-imposed deadline of May 9 to give Putin a battlefield trophy in time for Russia’s Victory Day celebrations.
Moscow regards capturing Bakhmut as a stepping stone towards taking other cities in Ukraine’s industrial east, but Western observers say Bakhmut’s fall would not represent a major win for Moscow or change the battlefield.
Prigozhin launches another scathing attack on Russian defence chiefs, saying soldiers are being given ‘criminal’ orders.
