Prigozhin makes London demands: Russia can’t control munitions problem
05/02/2023, 11:05 am
According to London’s assessment, Russia cannot meet the war material needs of its armed forces. Wagner’s boss alone, Prigozchin, says his fighters need around 300 tons of ammunition every day. Even changes in the team do not bring improvement so far.
According to British intelligence services, Russia does not have enough ammunition to make decisive progress in offensives in Ukraine. According to the British Ministry of Defence’s brief report, Moscow is giving top priority to strengthening the armaments industry – but the industry is still not doing justice to the high demand for war.
Russia’s political leadership demands success on the battlefield, while leaders in charge of logistics fall by the wayside, he said. As an example, the British cite the recent dismissal of Deputy Defense Minister Mikhail Mizintsev, who was responsible for the army’s material and technical supplies for eight months. His replacement was confirmed last week, and Colonel-General Alexei Kuzmenkov, formerly Deputy Director of the National Guard, took over.
The shortage of ammunition led to internal disputes, mainly between the army and the head of the notorious Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin. About 300 tons of artillery shells a day are needed for the battle for Bakhmut, but Wagner receives only a third of that amount, wrote Prigozhin recently on his Telegram channel. “300 tons a day is ten containers of cargo – that’s not a lot.” In a separate statement, he explained that his troops had advanced some 120 meters into Bakhmut, losing 86 of their fighters. Time and again he blames the lack of artillery support for high losses due to lack of ammunition.
The Ministry of Defense in London publishes daily information on the course of the war since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, citing intelligence information. Moscow accuses London of a disinformation campaign.