According to leaked documents, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has offered the Ukrainian government to disclose the positions of Russian troops, the Washington Post reports. In return, Ukraine would have to withdraw from the besieged city of Bakhmut, where Prigozhin’s mercenaries are dying by the thousands. Did he commit high treason or was it a Russian ruse?
Wagner’s boss made the unusual offer to his enemies in late January, when the bloody battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut had been raging for months. Prigozhin is said to have used his secret contacts with the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR, which he maintained during the war. According to the Washington Post, this is evident from documents from the US Secret Service that have been published on the chat platform Discord. It is not clear from the files which Russian positions were involved.
Kiev rejected the offer
Two Ukrainian officials confirmed to the newspaper that Prigozhin contacted the Ukrainian secret service several times. However, Kiev rejected his offer as it could have been a treacherous ruse. Seriously or not, there is no doubt that the battle for Bakhmut is not going the way Prigozhin had hoped. For weeks, the mercenary boss makes angry statements, complains about a lack of ammunition and berates the Defense Department. In early May, he even threatened to withdraw from the front in Donetsk.
Finally, Prigozhin drew attention with an angry diatribe in which he railed against the Kremlin and accused the General Staff of a humiliating response from the Russian troops. He also scolded a “grandpa” who was a “complete idiot”. For many, this clearly means Russian President Vladimir Putin, even though Prigozhin denies this. The Wagner boss is actually an old friend and ally of Putin. In trying to trade the lives of his mercenaries for those of Russian soldiers, Prigozhin may have gone too far for good. Putin could view his actions as high treason.
“have nothing to hide”
The Wagner boss himself seems to take the situation lightly. Informed by the Washington Post that the documents reveal his conversations with Ukrainian intelligence agency HUR – which also included secret conversations in an African country – Prigozhin wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday: “Yes, of course I can confirm this information, we have nothing to hide from the foreign special services. Budanov and I are still in Africa.” Kyrylo Budanov is the head of HUR.
According to a document that was made public, Prigozhin told a Ukrainian intelligence officer that the Russian army was having problems with the supply of ammunition. He advised Ukrainian troops to launch an attack on Crimea while Russian troops’ morale was low, the Washington Post reports. According to other intelligence information, Prigozhin was aware of his troops’ declining morale. For example, some fighters resisted orders to operate under heavy fire around Bakhmut because they feared further casualties.
Ukrainian advance in Bakhmut
According to the Ukrainian side, the troops of Kiev are now advancing there. The advance is the first success of the offensive to defend the city, which has been bitterly fought for months, said ground forces commander Colonel General Olexandr Syrskyj. “The advance of our troops towards Bakhmut is the first successful offensive operation to defend the city,” he told the Ukrainian army’s Telegram channel.
“The past few days have shown that even under such extremely difficult conditions, we can advance and destroy the enemy.” The operation continues, Syrskyj explains.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
