Russian “Wagner” Forces to Withdraw from Bakhmut, Ukraine

Because of the length of the battle and the heavy losses incurred by both sides, Bakhmut became a symbol of the struggle between the Russians and Ukrainians for control of the Donbass region, which is Moscow’s stated goal.

In recent months, Russian forces have advanced north and south of Bakhmut, cutting off many of the Ukrainian supply routes and taking control of its eastern part.

On Tuesday, Prigozhin announced that the Russian forces had advanced about 160 meters in the city of Bakhmut in different directions, indicating that the forces had imposed control over an area of ​​53,000 square meters.

Prigozhin said, in statements reported by the press service of the founder of Wagner: “Today, Wagner’s forces advanced in the city of Bakhmut a distance of up to 160 meters in different directions, and our units took control of 53 thousand square meters, and 2.7 kilometers remain under enemy control.”

Prigozhin, who has repeatedly entered into disputes with the Russian Defense Ministry, repeated complaints that Moscow was not providing his forces with sufficient ammunition, and said that as a result, Wagner suffered unnecessary heavy losses.

This is not the first time that Prigozhin has complained about a lack of ammunition, but it is the first time that he has hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from the city, where battles are entering the tenth month.

Schism and bloodshed

Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized Russia’s top military leadership in the past, and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, two key figures in Russia, attacked you, which amounted to an escalation.

• The head of the Russian armed Wagner Group accused his country’s General Staff of “treason” by refusing, he said, to deliver equipment to his elements who are on the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
• “The chief of staff and the defense minister are issuing random orders and asking not only not to deliver ammunition to the Wagner Group, but also not to assist it in the field of air transportation,” Prigozhin said in an audio recording posted by his media office on Telegram.
• He added, “There is a direct confrontation that is an attempt to destroy Wagner. It amounts to treason to the homeland, while Wagner fights for Bakhmut and suffers hundreds of human losses every day.”

The Kremlin knows of Wagner’s withdrawal from Bakhmut

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that he took note of Prigozhin’s announcement that he had left his posts in Bakhmut, on May 10, in favor of the deployment of the Russian armed forces.

This came in Peskov’s press statement, today, Friday, where he continued that the Kremlin was informed of this and did not comment on it.

According to Prigozhin, according to what he announced on his “Telegram” channel, the fighters of his group will go to the rear camps to heal their wounds there, on May 10, and the fighters will leave their positions for the Russian armed forces.

And Prigozhin continued in his post: “I ask the Chief of the General Staff to sign a combat order to the Wagner Group to transfer Bakhmut sites to units of the Ministry of Defense.”