The head of the Russian armed group Wagner accused, on Tuesday, 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.
These statements, made by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, signify the escalation of tensions between the Wagner Group and the Russian military and they seem to be competing for territory in Ukraine.
The tension has become more evident in recent weeks with the attempt by Russian forces to seize the city of Bakhmut (east), where both the army and the Wagner Group claimed progress in sometimes contradictory statements.
“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 transport,” Prigozhin said in an audio recording posted by his media office on Telegram.
“There is a direct confrontation which is an attempt to destroy Wagner. It amounts to treason to the homeland while Wagner fights for Bakhmut and suffers hundreds of casualties every day,” he added.
Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized Russia’s top military leadership in the past, but this attack on Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, two key figures in Vladimir Putin’s regime, is clearly an escalation.
The Russian Ministry of Defense responded on Tuesday evening, issuing a statement detailing the quantities of ammunition provided to the “volunteer assault squadrons”, which is the name that the army seems to give to Wagner’s mercenaries.
“All requests for ammunition for the assault units are met as soon as possible,” the ministry said, promising new supplies from Saturday and stressing that information indicating a shortage was “totally wrong”.
The ministry once again praised the Russian volunteers’ “courage” in fighting and their “dedication” and denounced “the futile attempts to sow discord that serve the interests of the enemy.”
This tension also exemplifies the difficulties faced by Russian forces three days before the first anniversary of the launch of the offensive into Ukraine that the Russians hoped would be accomplished quickly with the capture of Kiev.
Wagner, which has recruited thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine, has been leading the attack on Bakhmut since the summer and recently seized several towns in an attempt to besiege the city.
On Tuesday, Prigozhin also accused the General Staff of preventing the delivery of Wagner fighters “shovels that allow them to dig trenches.”
