The head of Russia’s paramilitary group Wagner on Tuesday accused his country’s general staff of committing “treason” by refusing to provide equipment to his mercenaries on the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
These statements by businessman Evguéni Prigojine mark an escalation in tensions between his Wagner group and the Russian army, which appears to be competing on the ground in Ukraine.
Tensions have become increasingly apparent in recent weeks as Russian forces attempt to capture the eastern town of Bakhmout, with the Army and Wagner each claiming progress and at times contradicting one another.
“The Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense are issuing orders at all costs asking not only not to give ammunition to the Wagner paramilitary group, but also not to help it with air transport,” Mr Prigozhin ranted in a voice recording released by his news service on Telegram.
“There is a frontal opposition that is nothing less than an attempt to destroy Wagner. It can be compared to a betrayal of the fatherland as Wagner fights for Bakhmout and suffers hundreds of casualties every day,” he added.
While Mr. Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized the Russian high command in the past, this ad hominem attack on Chief of Staff Valery Guerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, two of Vladimir Putin’s most important power figures, is clearly an escalation.
These tensions also illustrate the difficulties encountered by Russian forces three days before the anniversary of the start of the offensive against Ukraine, which was soon to end with the capture of Kiev and is now deadlocked.
Wagner, who has recruited thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine, has been leading the assault on Bakhmout since the summer and recently captured a number of nearby settlements to encircle the town.
On Tuesday, Mr. Prigojine accused the high command of even banning the supply of “shovels that enable them to dig trenches” to Wagner fighters.
Neither the army nor the Ministry of Defense reacted immediately.