Like Michel, Ukrainian officials were skeptical about Prigozhin’s claims of ammunition shortages. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut.Ī pullout by Wagner would be a huge blow to the Russian campaign.įor the Ukrainian side, Bakhmut has become an important symbol of resistance to Russia’s invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says its loss could build international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the U.S. Wagner has spearheaded the struggle for Bakhmut, the war’s longest - and likely bloodiest - battle. U.S. “The only thing I am taking seriously from that declaration is that Bakhmut is probably not ready to fall,” said Michel, who is based in Berlin. He might want to regroup without being accused of retreating he may worry about being fired for not taking the city and prefer to say he left on his own or he could genuinely need more ammunition. READ MORE: In Ukraine’s forests, Ukraine’s fighters race to prepare for counteroffensive against Russiaīut why Prigozhin is threatening to pull his forces out is an open question, Michel said.

Yohann Michel, a research analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said Prigozhin’s comments should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but “this time I would take a shovel of salt, at least, or maybe a truck.” “The scum that doesn’t give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.” “These are someone’s fathers and someone’s sons,” Prigozhin says. He says they are Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone, and demands ammunition from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov. Prigozhin’s spokespeople also published a video of him Friday shouting, swearing and pointing at about 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. Known for bluster, he has previously made unverifiable claims and threats he hasn’t carried out. It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russia’s military, with which he has long been in conflict. But they were undersupplied and suffering heavy losses, he said, and would hand over operations to the regular army on May 10. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner fighters had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Russia’s Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - The owner of Russia’s Wagner military contractor threatened Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscow’s military command of starving his forces of ammunition.

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