Wagner boss says he was promised ammunition to stay in Bakhmut

Wagner's leader said Russian officials promised to provide ammunition for the private military group to continue its campaign in the city of Bakhmut.

"We received orders to fight at night," Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian private military corporation Wagner, announced on May 7, adding that Russian authorities "promised to provide all the necessary ammunition and weapons" for Wagner units to continue their campaign in Bakhmut.

Mr. Prigozhin also said that General Sergey Surovikin will supervise Wagner's activities within the framework of joint military operations between the corporation and the Russian Defense Ministry . "Mr. Surovikin is the only general who knows how to fight," the Wagner leader said.

Wagner soldiers prepare to launch an anti-tank missile at a Ukrainian target in Bakhmut on April 9. Photo: RIA Novosti — Wagner soldiers prepare to launch an anti-tank missile at a Ukrainian target in Bakhmut on April 9. Photo: *RIA Novosti*

The announcement came days after Mr Prigozhin criticized Russian defense officials for being slow to supply ammunition to Wagner, causing the private military corporation's units to suffer heavy casualties.

According to Mr. Prigozhin, Wagner exhausted its resources after more than 400 days of fighting in Bakhmut, its units "lost their combat capability" and were forced to retreat to preserve their forces with a deadline of May 10.

Colonel General Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's Chechen Republic, announced on May 5 that units of the 141st Akhmat Special Mechanized Regiment under his command would replace Wagner forces if they withdrew from Bakhmut.

General Kadyrov also expressed sympathy for the situation facing Wagner units, but said that Mr Prigozhin should not " videotape the bodies of his comrades to make the public protest".

Fierce fighting has been raging for months as Russia and Ukraine both focus their efforts on the battle. Ukraine claims Bakhmut is key to containing Russian forces in the Donbass region and preventing them from advancing further west.

Wagner units played a leading role in the assault on the city of Bakhmut, while Russian regular forces supported and prevented Ukrainian forces from outflanking them. Wagner leaders claimed that Russian forces controlled 95% of Bakhmut, with Ukrainian troops still holding about two square kilometers west of the city.