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Whether it’s just a mob stir-up or a genuine warning, Evgeny Prigozhin is making a fuss about Russia’s position in the war with Ukraine, especially over Bakhmut.
The head of the Wagner Private Military Company has threatened in recent days to withdraw its fighters from the battle-hardened eastern city, claiming they would be branded traitors if they do so, now only in Ukraine. But he states that his army may lose Bahmut. occupies 5%.
“There is a serious danger of encircling Bahmut’s PMC ‘Wagner’ due to the destruction of the flanks. The flanks are already cracking and crumbling,” Prigogine said in a post Wednesday from his company Concord. He complained that the Russian army was not providing enough ammunition for the mercenary groups in the country, and said, “Ukrainian forces will destroy the PMC ‘Wagner’.”
The once-vaunted Russian army has not scored any notable battlefield victories in recent months and was embarrassed to have to withdraw from Kharkiv province and the city of Kherson in the last four months of last year. A defeat at Bakhmut, where Moscow has already cost thousands of lives and an immeasurable amount of equipment, would be a heavy blow.
Still, Mr. Prigogine’s rant is met with skepticism. The Kremlin said Wednesday that it had not seen his critical video post the day before, and Ukrainian military spokesman Serhiy Cherevaty said Russia was still active in capturing Bakhmut.
“The situation is still tough for the enemy because it (still) is the main attack direction, even though Prigogine is trying to create all sorts of white noise,” Cherevaty said on television.
The Washington-based Institute for War Studies questioned Prigogine’s motives, saying of his threat to withdraw from Bakmut:
“Prygozhin attempted to blackmail the Russian Ministry of Defense into reprioritizing the Bakhmut offensive so that it could win on its own at the expense of Russian military preparations ahead of the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive. I can make a claim.”
development:
◾ Video journalist Armand Soldin was killed in a rocket attack while reporting from Ukrainian military positions in Chasif Yar with colleagues from Agence France-Presse, the news agency said. AFP news agency said it was “shocked” by Soldin’s death.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday that Russia had “retaliated” after the United States refused visas to Russian journalists when Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited New York last month to attend the United Nations Security Council. ‘ is being considered, he said.
The governor of Russia’s Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine, said two Ukrainian drones attacked a military training ground in the region overnight. Russian media Baza reported that 14 soldiers were injured.
Britain considers giving Ukraine long-range missiles
British officials have asked defense contractors to supply Ukraine with missiles with a range of about 200 miles, as a step up in military support for Kiev.
The call for responses from companies was included in a notice posted by the Ukrainian International Fund, a multinational funding mechanism for arming the Ukrainian army. The UK Ministry of Defense, which manages the fund, asked companies to contact them to see if they could provide land, sea and air-launched missiles. The missile’s range is about the same as the Army Tactical Missile System ATACMS, which the US government refuses to provide.
Politico reported that the Biden administration has no plans to follow Britain’s precedent and that “some officials say the United States is now out of danger thanks to Britain’s planned deliveries.” Politico cited several unnamed administration officials.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said the United States had few missiles to spare, aside from an increase in armaments.
Ukraine Nuclear Sites Face ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage
Russia plans to relocate more than 3,000 Ukrainian workers from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, leaving Europe’s largest nuclear facility with a “disastrous shortage of qualified personnel,” Ukraine’s Nuclear energy companies warned Wednesday.
Energoatom said even Ukrainian workers forced to sign “shameful” contracts have been displaced, threatening the plant’s safety even when it is not operating.
“The quickest possible de-occupation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, the deportation (of the Russians) and the transfer of control of the power plant to Energoatom, the legitimate operator of Ukraine, will end the Russian turmoil in the ZNPP. It’s the only way to guarantee that it will “be safe in the future,” Energoatom said in a statement.
Russia-appointed deputy prime minister for the region, Andrei Kozenko, said as many as 70,000 civilians would voluntarily move out of the region because of the risks from artillery fire. Ukraine’s National Resistance Center says Russian-installed officials are closing schools, preparing buses and appointing officials to oversee evacuations.
Ukrainian officials blamed Moscow for the strike, saying Moscow’s goal was to move people deeper into Russian-controlled Ukraine and Russia itself.
Kremlin deflects question on harsh criticism of mercenary leader
Kremlin officials have yet to see a scathing video posted on social media on Tuesday by Wagner mercenary group boss Evgeny Prigozhin, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. said the troops had not yet been given the desperately needed ammunition requested by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Wagner’s bosses were told that they might have to withdraw their troops because they were short of strength, and that it would be considered treason. However, Prigozhin said that some Russian troops had actually escaped from positions near Bakhmut, a claim later corroborated by Ukrainian forces.
Contributed by Associated Press
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