According to Kiev, Russia is not succeeding in cutting off the supply routes to the heavily besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bachmut. “The Russians have been talking about conquering that ‘road of life’ for several weeks, but in fact everything is different,” said military spokesman Sergi Cherevaty. Meanwhile, Yevgeny Prigozhin (61), the boss of the infamous Russian mercenary army Wagner, has threatened to withdraw part of his troops from Bachmut. According to Prigozhin, the Russian army supplies too little ammunition, causing Wagner to suffer many more losses than necessary.
Although there is fighting over the road from Bachmut to Chasiv Yar, the Russians are not succeeding in disrupting Ukrainian logistics, Cherevaty says. Weapons, ammunition and food can still be brought in. Not only do the Ukrainian soldiers manage to maintain their positions along the roads, engineers have also built new routes to Bachmut.
The statements of the Ukrainian army spokesman cannot be confirmed by independent sources.
Bachmut has been under attack for months by Russian soldiers and the Wagner mercenary force. The Russians say they control about 85 percent of the city’s territory. Ukraine refuses to give up the now largely destroyed city, because the battle for Bachmut leads to major losses on the Russian side.
Prigozhin: “withdrawal imminent”
The large losses are confirmed by Prigozhin. “Every day we have piles of bodies that we have to put in a coffin and send home,” he complains in an interview with Russian military blogger Semyon Pegov. The Wagner boss says he has written a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, in which he calls on the minister to replenish supplies as quickly as possible.
“If the ammunition shortage is not resolved quickly, we will be forced to retreat or die,” said Prigozhin. If it comes to that, the front would also collapse completely in other places, he warns.
Earlier this week, Wagner’s founder said his army is suffering five times more casualties in Ukraine than necessary. Heavy fighting has been taking place in eastern Bachmut for months. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians are trying to gain control of the city. At present, Ukraine owns only a small part west of Bachmut. But according to Prigozhin, the Ukrainian army is ready for a counter-offensive. He predicts that the offensive will begin on May 15, as soon as the weather improves.
Finally, Prigozhin lashed out at the Russian army command. According to him, the armed forces lack discipline and organization. The mercenary boss, who earns a lot from the invasion of Ukraine, can afford public criticism because he is a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
LOOK. Wagner boss Prigozhin has been complaining about the dire ammunition shortage for some time
Read also:
In groups of 20 soldiers at a time who walk into their deaths. How the Russians want to advance horribly in Bachmut (+)
From hot dog seller to businessman to mercenary boss of the Wagner group: how did Yevgeny Prigozhin get into the top 10 most important Russians? (+)
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.