In a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, published by his press service, Yevgueni Prigoyine protested the lack of ammunition.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 06/05/2023 at 15:01, updated 06/05/2023 at 15:50
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Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigojine. YULIA MOROZOVA / Portal
The leader of the Wagner paramilitary group on Saturday asked the Russian army for permission to hand over its positions in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmout to the troops of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in protest at a lack of ammunition.
“I ask you to issue a battle order for the surrender of the positions of the Wagner group to the units of the Akhmat battalion in the village of Bakhmout and its surroundings before midnight on May 10,” Yevgeny Prigoyine said in a published letter from his press service Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The Wagner boss specified this request “due to a long lack of ammunition” and accused the workforce of having only provided him with 32 percent of the ammunition requested since last October.
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“Our fighters are ready”
The day before, Yevgeny Prigoyine had threatened to withdraw his troops from the town of Bakhmout, the epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine, next week and accused the Russian general staff of depriving him of ammunition. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov then said on Telegram on Friday evening that his fighters were ready to occupy the Russian positions in the city if the Wagner group actually withdrew their units.
“Our fighters are ready to advance and occupy the city. It would take a couple of hours,” Ramzan Kadyrov assured, noting that his troops had already fought alongside Wagner in the Ukrainian cities of Popasna, Severodonetsk and Lisychansk that had been captured by Russia.
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On Saturday morning, in a separate message, Yevgeny Prigoyine thanked Ramzan Kadyrov for his proposal and assured that Bakhmout, which has been resisting Russian attacks since last summer, is “undoubtedly” taken by Chechen troops. Wagner’s boss has been accusing the Russian general staff for months of not providing his men with enough ammunition to deny them a victory at Bakhmout that would eclipse the regular army.