Only two mercenaries left in Bachmut
Prigoshin takes off Wagner and scolds Russian clowns
06/02/2023, 9:20 p.m
The city of Bakhmut is now controlled by the Russian army, according to Yevgeny Prigozhin. The head of the Wagner group of mercenaries claims that 99 percent of his people have been withdrawn from the once fiercely contested city. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians stopped fighting on the flanks.
The Russian private army Wagner has almost completed its announced withdrawal from the captured eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, according to its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin announced on Friday evening that 99 percent of the units had left the city. “All positions have been handed over to the (Russian) Ministry of Defense in the appropriate order.” Everything has been clarified, said Prigozhin, who had announced the withdrawal for early June.
According to earlier information, only two Wagner men are to remain to support the regular Russian army in its control of the city in the Donetsk region. Prigozhin said there were no more “provocations” by the Ukrainian armed forces. The day before, the Wagner boss had declared that his troops would be withdrawn from the battle line, but would remain stationed in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. It was initially not possible to independently check how far the change of position had actually progressed.
Next tirade from Prigozhin
Prigozhin set conditions for further use of the Wagner mercenaries. They would only continue fighting if they were given their own section of the front line that was not under the command of the Russian military. “We will not participate if the entire chain of command has failed and is run by clowns who mince people,” Prigozhin said at a training camp on his 62nd birthday. His men would rest at bases in Russian-controlled Ukraine for about a month. “It was a tough year. Then we’ll see how it goes.”
The Ukrainian army commander Olexander Syrskyj announced on Thursday that his army had stopped fighting on the flanks of Bakhmut to take on other tasks. Ukraine has not officially given up Bakhmut. The country wants to liberate its territories from Russian occupation as part of a major counter-offensive.
Did Russia want to kill the mercenaries with booby traps?
For months, Bachmut had been fought bitterly and with great losses. In the fight for the completely destroyed city, which once had 70,000 inhabitants, fierce power struggles within the Russian military leadership have also come to light in recent weeks. Prigozhin repeatedly accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of not supplying his fighters with sufficient ammunition.
On Friday evening, Prigozhin raised new serious allegations. According to him, representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry have planted explosive devices intended to hit its fighters. His men discovered a dozen locations behind the front lines where officials had hidden various explosive devices – including hundreds of anti-tank mines, he writes on Telegram.
When asked, the officials referred to orders from their superiors. Given the location of the explosive devices, it could be assumed that they were intended for his Wagner mercenaries. “We assume that was an attempt at public punishment.” There was no comment from the Ministry of Defense. Prigozhin has repeatedly clashed with the regular military.