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At the end of January, when his mercenary troops were dying by the thousands in the battle for the devastated city of Bakhmut, Wagner Group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin made an extraordinary offer to Ukraine.
Prigozhin said if the Ukrainian commanders would withdraw their soldiers From the Bakhmut area, he would give Kiev information about Russian troop positions that Ukraine could use for an attack. Prigozhin conveyed the proposal to his contacts in Ukraine’s military intelligence service, with whom, according to previously unreleased information, he had maintained secret communications during the war US intelligence documents leaked on group chat platform Discord.
Prigozhin has publicly quarreled with Russian military commanders whom he furiously claims as his own failed to equip and resupply its armed forces, which have provided crucial support to Moscow’s war effort. But he’s also an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who may well view Prigozhin’s offer to swap the lives of Wagner fighters for Russian soldiers as a treacherous betrayal.
The leaked document does not bring any clarity which Russian troop positions Prigozhin wanted to disclose.
Two Ukrainian officials confirmed that Prigozhin spoke to the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate HUR on several occasions. An official said Prigozhin had extended Bakhmut’s offer more than once, but Kiev turned it down because officials did not trust Prigozhin and thought his proposals might have been disingenuous.
A US official also warned that there were similar doubts about Prigozhin’s intentions in Washington. The Ukrainian and US officials spoke about sensitive information on condition of anonymity.
In an interview with the Washington Post this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declined to confirm contacts with Prigozhin. “It’s a question of [military] intelligence,” he said. The Ukrainian leader also declined to publicly release confidential information, saying he believes the leaks benefited Russia.
Transcript of the Zelenskyy interview: “Ukraine must win”
But Prigozhin’s bitter frustration at the bitter battle at Bakhmut is undeniable. He has complained publicly and privately that the Russian Defense Ministry has not given its fighters the ammunition and other resources they need to succeed. Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. In recent months, Ukrainian and Russian forces have suffered heavy casualties, measured by city blocks, in a laborious back-and-forth.
Prigozhin, who vowed to take control of the city by May 9, in time for Victory Day celebrations in Russia, has recently publicly threatened to withdraw his troops from combat.
Other leaked documents reveal that Russian Defense Ministry officials have been privately pondering how to respond to Prigozhin’s criticism of the military’s performance and its calls for more resources, which they apparently conceded were not illegitimate complaints. The documents also point to a power struggle between Prigozhin and top officials, including Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Against this tense backdrop, Prigohzin shared a secret Relationship with Ukrainian intelligence, which includes phone calls and face-to-face meetings with HUR officials in an unspecified country in Africa, a document said. Wagner troops ensure the security of several governments on the continent.
Leaked US intelligence shows that Prigozhin laments the heavy toll the fighting has taken on his own forces and urges Ukraine to crack down on the Russians Troops.
Wagner boss threatens to withdraw from Bachmut and criticizes the Russian military
According to one document, Prigozhin told a Ukrainian intelligence officer that the Russian military was having ammunition supply problems. He recommended that Ukrainian forces press ahead with the attack on the border with Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia Russian troops’ morale was low. The report also referenced other intelligence information, noting that Prigozhin was aware of plummeting morale among Wagner’s forces and that some of his fighters, fearing further casualties, had resisted orders to deploy in the Bakhmut area under heavy fire.
The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment on Prigozhin’s communications with Ukraine.
In times of war, it is not uncommon for opposing factions to maintain one form or another Communication. And the documents reveal nothing of Prigozhin’s intention in conversation with his former enemies in Ukraine. In an interview, a Ukrainian official described the contacts in spirit: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
The documents also suggest that Kiev suspects, or possibly knows, that the Kremlin is aware of, if not secret, Prigozhin’s communications with Ukrainian intelligence Negotiations on Bachmut.
A document based on “signint” – or intercepted communications – indicates that Ukraine Military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov “expected that the Russians would use details of Prigozhin’s secret talks with the HUR and his meetings with their officers in Africa to make him appear as a Ukrainian agent.” Whether Budanov suspects Moscow is not revealed explained in more detail Perhaps he already knows that Prigozhin is talking to HUR officials.
Upon learning that US intelligence documents revealed Prigozhin’s communications with Ukrainian intelligence, the mercenary commander appeared to downplay the situation. “Yes, of course I can confirm this information, we have nothing to hide from foreign intelligence agencies. Budanov and I are still in Africa,” Prigohzin wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday.
Prigohzin did not immediately respond to a question about his offer to reveal Russian troop positions in exchange for a Ukrainian retreat at Bakhmut.
Mary Ilyushina in Riga, Latvia contributed to this report.