“Ukraine prepares for imminent counter-offensive in Bakhmut, says founder of Wagner military company”

Ukraine is preparing for an “imminent” counter-offensive and is sending well-prepared units to the devastated city of Bakhmut. which has been the center of fighting for months. This was stated by the founder of the Russian private military company “Wagner”, Yevgeny Prigozhin, quoted by “Reuters”.

In an audio recording published by Telegram, he renewed his criticism of Russia’s security services, saying there was “treason” going on inside Russia and accused the Ministry of Defense of failed to send his fighters much-needed ammunition.

“Today, well-trained enemy units have already been thrown into Bakhmut. The counter-offensive of the Ukrainians is inevitable” Prigogine warned, adding that he expects this campaign to begin sometime after May 2, when the weather improves and the ground dries out.

For months, the Wagner boss has been in open battle with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the conduct of the war. He claims his fighters have suffered five times more casualties due to a lack of support from Moscow.

Prigozhin also raised the question of why Russian forces had not launched an offensive against the nearby towns of Slavyansk or Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine to relieve pressure on Bakhmut.

However, he assured that his forces will do whatever it takes to stop any attempt by Ukraine to retake the city.

“We will advance at any cost just to crush the Ukrainian army and prevent its advance,” Prigozhin threatened.

Russia claims that the capture of Bakhmut will allow it to mount further offensives in eastern Ukraine. Although he downplayed the strategic importance of the city for Moscow, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly refused to withdraw his forces from there.

The capture of Bakhmut, which Prigozhin announced on April 11 was more than 80% under “Wagner” control, would be Russia’s first major victory in the conflict after a series of large-scale retreats from Kharkiv and Kherson regions last fall.

Prigozhin sees no signs of withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut

“The enemy isn’t going anywhere”