The head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Evguéni Prigojine, attacked the Russian general staff in videos of rare ferocity.
The head of Russia’s paramilitary group Wagner on Friday, May 5, threatened to withdraw his troops next week from the town of Bakhmout, the epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine, and accused the Russian general staff of depriving him of ammunition. For its part, Russia announced the partial evacuation of 18 occupied places near the front line, while a fire broke out in Russia’s Ilsky near the Ukrainian border. Franceinfo takes stock of what to remember from the day of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Wagner Group threatens to withdraw from Bakhmout
Businessman Yevgeny Prigojine vented his anger in several videos of rare virulence, threatening the Russian General Staff to withdraw Wagner’s troops from Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine next week. The head of the paramilitary group also blamed the high command for the “tens of thousands” of Russians killed and injured in Ukraine. If Wagner were to withdraw from Bakhmout, where this organization is at the forefront, the Russian army would be in an awkward position.
For months, Wagner’s chief has accused the Russian general staff of not providing its men with enough ammunition to deny them a victory at Bachmout that would eclipse the regular army, which suffered setbacks last year. If these statements take the form of an announcement, it could actually be an ultimatum: the Wagner boss is used to hot statements and sometimes backtracks.
Questioned by the press about these tensions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied that he had seen “the statements” made by the Wagner boss but declined to comment. For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry in its daily bulletin acted as if nothing had happened and laconically invoked the “offensive” of the men of this paramilitary group in Bakhmout, “supported” by “airborne units” of the regular army.
Ukraine believes Russia wants to capture Bakhmu by Tuesday
As tensions come to light, local fighting continues. According to Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar, Russia hopes to capture Bakhmut by Tuesday, the day it celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany with great fanfare in a grand celebration of patriotic enthusiasm. Ganna Maliar believes Moscow’s new tactic is to “remove Wagner men” to replace them “with parachute assault units” from the army.
Russia partially evacuates 18 occupied locations ahead of Ukrainian counteroffensive
Be that as it may, these disagreements resurface at a time when Kiev claims it is preparing for an imminent attempt to retake the occupied territories. Faced with the “increase in (the number of) Ukrainian bombings,” the authorities installed by Russia in the Russian-held territories in the southern Zaporizhia region have announced the evacuation of 70,000 people from 18 locations. Analysts name Zaporijjia as a possible location for the major offensive that Kiev has been announcing for weeks.
Suspected drone attack in Moscow: Russia again accuses the United States
Thousands of kilometers from the battlefield, during a trip to India, the chief of Russian diplomacy again accused the United States of being linked to an alleged attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin that Moscow claims thwarted on Wednesday. “The ability of our Ukrainian and Western friends to lie is well known,” Sergei Lavrov said, brushing aside denials from Kiev and Washington.
The dome of the Senate Palace in the Kremlin, which was damaged on Wednesday by the crash of a drone during the alleged attack, has also been restored, the Russian Council Presidency said in the evening, citing the press agencies. This incident, unprecedented since the start of the Russian offensive, is part of a worrying Moscow link to the multiplication of attacks of this type. A new fire broke out on Friday at an oil refinery attacked by a drone in a region near Ukraine, like the TASS news agency announced.
Two famous Russian artists jailed for ‘apology’ on terrorism
A Russian court on Friday remanded Evguénia Berkovitch and Svetlana Petriïtchouk, two artists accused of promoting terrorism for one of their pieces, as they crack down on opposition voices in Russia since the military offensive in Ukraine. Last year, Yevgenia Berkovitch, mother of two minor children, published “widespread” verses against the offensive in Ukraine, underscores the accompanying text of a petition by the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta asking for her release.