In a letter published by his press service, Yevgeny Prigozhin asks Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu to order the transfer of positions to the units of the Akhmat battalion before midnight on May 10. His request comes “due to a long-term lack of ammunition,” said Prigozhin, who says he has received only 32 percent of the ammunition requested since October.
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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadirov then announced via Telegram on Friday evening that his fighters were prepared to take over the Russian positions in the Ukrainian city if Wagner actually withdrew. On Saturday morning, Prigozhin thanked Kadirov for his offer, stating that Bachmut “will undoubtedly be captured” by Chechen troops.
The battle for Bachmut in eastern Ukraine has been going on for months and Ukrainian troops have only a small part in the west of the city under control. Losses are high on both sides in the conflict. Wagner’s head has been accusing the Russian army command for months of not supplying its fighters with enough ammunition because a mercenary victory at Bachmut would put the regular Russian army in the shade.
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