Wagner mercenary group threatens to leave Bakhmut on May 10

Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement on Friday that a lack of ammunition was the reason for the withdrawal from fighting with Ukrainian forces in the mining town.

A view of the town of Bakhmut during fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Photo: Sputnik

"I am withdrawing Wagner units from Bakhmut because without ammunition they will die in vain," Prigozhin said, adding that Wagner positions in Bakhmut would be handed over to regular Russian forces.

Prigozhin released a video on Friday showing himself standing among dozens of bloody corpses, blaming a lack of support from Russia for the losses Wagner suffered in Ukraine.

He said Wagner was "70 percent short of ammunition" and asked where the ammunition was. Prigozhin said the group's losses would have been five times lower if there had been adequate supplies.

“These are the Wagner boys who died today,” Prigozhin said, pointing to the bodies around him. “They came here as volunteers and they are dying…”, he added.

The battle for the strategically important town of Bakhmut has become the longest-running battle of the conflict, with heavy losses on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides.

Russian forces have been fighting for months to capture the town, aiming to use it as a springboard for attacks on other cities in the Donetsk region, one of four Ukrainian provinces that President Vladimir Putin has declared annexed to Russia.

The battle had exhausted both sides’ artillery reserves, with thousands of shells being fired daily, so Wagner’s forces were constantly asking for more ammunition to ensure victory, but it seemed they were never given enough.

Bui Huy (according to AFP, Reuters, DW)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nhom-linh-danh-thue-wagner-doa-roi-bakhmut-vao-ngay-10-thang-5-post246565.html