The leader of the paramilitary group Wagner claimed on Sunday he had “a promise” from the Russian army to receive more ammunition and armaments, after threatening to withdraw from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmout for lack of more support.
“Last night, we received a combat order (…). They promise to give us all the ammunition and armaments we need to continue operations,” said Yevgeny Prigojine in an audio message published by his service. Press.
“We are sworn that everything necessary will be provided to our flanks (around Bakhmout, editor’s note) so that the enemy does not pierce them and we are told that we can act in Artiomovsk (Soviet name of Bakhmout) as we deems necessary,” he added.
He also asserts that General Sergei Surovikin will henceforth take “all decisions concerning Wagner’s military operations in cooperation with the Russian Ministry of Defence”.
“He’s the only person with army general’s stars who knows how to fight,” said Mr. Prigojine.
General Surovikin was appointed commander of Russian forces in Ukraine last October, to the great satisfaction of Yevgeny Prigojine, shortly before the withdrawal of the Russian army from Kherson in the face of a Ukrainian offensive.
But Sergei Surovikin was then replaced in January in this post by General Valéri Guerassimov, the chief of staff of the armies, very regularly criticized by the boss of Wagner.
On Friday, Yevgeny Prigojine threatened to withdraw his troops next week from the city of Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, accusing the Russian general staff of depriving him of ammunition.
Wagner’s boss has been accusing the Russian general staff for months of not providing enough ammunition to his men to deprive them of a victory at Bakhmout, which would overshadow the regular army.
On Saturday, he also asked the Russian Defense Minister to hand over Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s troops to his positions in Bakhmout.
05/07/2023 13:45:13 – Moscow (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
