Dispute over ammunition – Wagner boss threatens Putin with withdrawal from Bachmut

In the video, Prigozhin, who is a friend of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, called the Wagner group “cement.” The mercenaries financed by him ‘stabilize’ the front and ‘prevent the enemy from breaking through’. “If we step down, we will forever go down in history as the people who took the most important step to lose the war,” he said.

Dispute over lack of ammunition
It was clear to him that the front line was collapsing, Prigozhin said. Ukrainian troops could then advance to Russia’s borders or “perhaps even further,” he added, again criticizing the lack of ammunition.

The dispute over its delivery has been dragging on for quite some time. Almost two weeks ago he had accused the Russian army command of high treason for not supplying his mercenaries with sufficient equipment in the battle for the city of Bakhmut. On Friday Wagner’s boss was delighted that Bachmut was practically surrounded.

Ammunition replenishment requested again
According to Prigozhin, he wrote to the Russian military leadership in Ukraine on Sunday Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov Gerasimov himself – replenishment of ammunition. Referring to the lack of ammunition deliveries, he said on Monday: “Right now we’re trying to figure out the reason: is it just plain bureaucracy or betrayal?”

Putin friend Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized the Defense Ministry and its boss, Sergei Shoigu. He said two weeks ago that he would try to destroy his units by not supplying Gruppe Wagner’s soldiers with sufficient supplies. And he also complained because he did not see that the merits of his mercenaries were sufficiently appreciated.

Industrial city is in ruins
Artillery fire that has been going on for months has devastated large parts of Bakhmut and forced almost all residents of the small industrial town to flee. In the battle for the city, the Russian army and the Wagner mercenaries send poorly trained recruits to the front as “cannon fodder”. Western sources estimate that every day hundreds of soldiers are wounded or killed fighting for the city in the “meat grinder Bakhmut”.

Military experts attach little or no strategic importance to Bakhmut. “The battle for Bachmut has cost enormous amounts of military and human resources,” said former Australian Major General Mick Ryan of the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The case of the former industrial city is pointless ‘if others hold out’.

Symbolic meaning for both sides
The longer the battle for Bakhmut lasted, the greater the symbolic importance of the city, which was home to some 70,000 people before the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited it last December and talked about the “Bakhmut Fortress”.

For Prigozhin, taking the city is an almost personal goal that would prove the importance of his mercenaries, who were also recruited in prisons. The capture also represents “a much-needed victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military,” said former CSIS Major General Ryan. Other experts point out that it would be Moscow’s first victory since the successful Ukrainian counter-offensives in the fall.

Is Kiev considering withdrawing from Bakhmut?
According to observers, Kiev could withdraw part of its forces from the city, which has been under heavy fighting for months. The Ukrainian army may be considering a controlled withdrawal. According to British intelligence in London, Ukraine wants to destroy strategic bridges near the city.