“Drama in Russian-Ukrainian War: Wagner Mercenaries Suffer Defeats and Carnage”

International

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Drama takes place in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Russian mercenary Wagner suddenly “sulked” to war in Ukraine.

Last weekend, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that he would withdraw at the main battlefield, Bakhmut, May 10, 2023. He said his men were short on ammunition and had suffered heavy losses.

He also publicly mocked Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top military officials for their behavior in the war in Ukraine. He said someone was jealous.

It kept vital supplies to his men, including ammunition detained. This also had an impact on those on the field, where Wagner began to suffer defeats and experience carnage.

“These are the Wagner soldiers who died today. The blood is still fresh,” Prigozhin said, pointing to about three dozen bodies that he said were of Wagner fighters, in a video quoted by The Guardian.

“They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your fancy offices,” he quipped to the Russian minister.

“Shoigu, Gerasimov, where are our ammunition?” he shouted again.

“You trash sitting there in your expensive club. Your children all started life, shooting their little YouTube videos,” said Prigozhin, referring to Shoigu’s son-in-law, Alexey Stolyarov, a popular fitness blogger.

Nevertheless, in the update CNBC International, Sunday (7/5/2023), Prigozhin is said to have canceled plans to withdraw troops. He is said to have received a promise to get all the weapons needed.

“Last night we received combat orders, for the first time in a long time,” he said.

“We have been promised as much ammunition and weapons as we need to continue further operations. We have been promised that everything necessary to prevent the enemy from stopping us (from supplies) will be deployed on the flanks,” he added.

The battle for Bakhmut, which Russia sees as a stepping stone to other cities in Ukraine’s Donbas region still outside its control, has been the conflict’s most intense. This cost thousands of lives on both sides in the months-long war.

Ukrainian forces have been pushed back in recent weeks but have remained in the city to inflict as much damage on the Russians as possible. This was ahead of Kyiv’s planned major offensive against the invading forces along a 1,000 km (620 mi) front.

Prigozhin also said that the Russian Defense Ministry had assigned General Sergei Surovikin to work alongside Wagner. He is one of Putin’s generals.

“He was the only male army general who knew how to fight,” he added, describing Surovikin as the man who commanded the Russian campaign in Ukraine for several months before the chief of the General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, was given overall operational command over him.

Blackmail Campaign

Earlier, observers said Prigozhin’s latest tirade marked an unusual level of fighting in Russia. This comes at a sensitive time as the Kremlin tries to spread a message of stability and unity in the face of a looming Ukrainian backlash.

“We are used to Prigozhin, but this is of course an escalation,” said a former Kremlin defense official.

“Prigozhin’s threats to leave Bakhmut are clearly part of a blackmail campaign,” he said.

“He’s always pushing to get what he wants. It’s unclear whether this latest gamble will pay off,” he said.

According to US estimates, more than 20,000 Russian troops have died in fighting in Ukraine since December. Where half of the dead were Wagner mercenaries.

Prigozhin is known as “Putin’s cook”. This is because the catering business often hosts dinners attended by the President of Russia.

(sef/sef)