Boss Wagner wrote a letter asking Russian Defense Minister Shoigu to go to Bakhmut to assess the situation on the battlefield.
"Given the difficult situation here and your many years of experience in combat command, I suggest you go to Bakhmut and independently assess the situation," the head of the Wagner private security group Yevgeny Prigozhin posted a letter on Telegram to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on May 12.
Mr Prigozhin said the Ukrainian side had successfully carried out a number of counterattacks against Russian regular forces on the flanks of Bakhmut, leading to a "devastating situation" that caused Wagner to lose the area it had just captured.
However, the Russian Defense Ministry denied that Ukrainian forces had breached Russian defenses along the front line, asserting that the situation in Bakhmut was "under control".
Head of the Wagner private security group Yevgeny Prigozhin. Photo: TASS
The rift between Wagner and the Russian Defense Ministry has been escalating, with Prigozhin’s latest threat to withdraw troops from Bakhmut. The Wagner leader has accused Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov of “treason” for not supplying ammunition to his forces.
In the face of Prigozhin’s growing attacks, the Russian military has not responded harshly, but has taken steps that appear to be aimed at reducing the Wagner leader’s influence. Russia has banned Prigozhin from recruiting prisoners, a practice that helped Wagner build a force of 50,000 by the end of last year.
Fierce fighting has been raging in Bakhmut for months as both Russia and Ukraine have focused their efforts. Ukraine claims Bakhmut is the “key to containing Russian forces” in the Donbass region.
Location of the city of Bakhmut. Graphics: RYV
Ngoc Anh (According to Telegraph )
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