The alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin this week could not have taken place without the United States being aware of it, the head of Russian diplomacy said on Friday, while Washington and Kiev denied any involvement. “This is a hostile act. It is clear that the terrorists in Kiev could not have committed it without their bosses knowing about it,” Sergei Lavrov said during a trip to India, saying that Moscow would take “concrete actions” to respond to this alleged attack.
Information to remember:
- Russia accuses the United States of sponsoring an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin.
- Washington denounces a lie and denies any involvement.
- The Wagner group says it will leave Bakhmout on May 10, for lack of ammunition.
- The Russian general staff is responsible for “tens of thousands of killed and wounded” Russians in Ukraine, accused the leader of the paramilitary group Wagner on Friday.
- Russia has announced a partial evacuation of 18 localities under Russian occupation in the Zaporizhia region in southern Ukraine.
Washington denounces a lie and denies any involvement
On Wednesday, Moscow claimed to have intercepted two Ukrainian drones targeting the Kremlin, denouncing an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. kyiv denied any involvement and Washington questioned the Russian accusations.
On Thursday, Russia — through Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov — accused the United States of ordering the alleged attack. Washington immediately reacted by denouncing a “lie” and denying any involvement. “If you believe that as soon as the United States and Ukraine have dismissed the charges, we must stop thinking what we know about it, this is not the case”, for his part insisted on Friday Mr. Lavrov, speaking to the press. “The ability of our Ukrainian and Western friends to lie is very well known,” he said.
Russia announces partial evacuation of occupied localities near the front line in the south
Russia announced Friday a partial evacuation of 18 localities under Russian occupation in the region of Zaporijjia, in the south of Ukraine, at a time when kyiv claims to prepare an imminent offensive.
“In recent days, the enemy has increased the bombardments on the localities located in the direct vicinity of the line of contact”, indicated on Telegram Evguéni Balitski, the regional manager installed by Moscow, specifying to have requested the evacuation “temporary” in priority of “children with their parents”, elderly and disabled people and hospital patients.
“For this reason, it was decided to first remove children with their parents, the elderly and disabled, hospital patients, enemy fire and move them inside the region” , he continued, assuring that the evacuations would be “temporary”.
Among the 18 localities concerned is in particular Energodar, the city where the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant is located, controlled by the Russian army since March 2022 and repeatedly targeted by shots, raising fears of a disaster.
Last fall, the Russian occupation authorities announced similar evacuations in the Kherson region, shortly before an offensive that saw the Ukrainian army retake the regional capital from Russian occupation.
Russian General Staff Responsible for ‘Tens of Thousands of Russian Killed and Injured’ in Ukraine, Says Wagner
The Russian general staff is responsible for “tens of thousands of killed and wounded” Russians in Ukraine, accused the leader of the paramilitary group Wagner on Friday, in a message directly aimed at the Russian Minister of Defense.
“They will bear the responsibility for tens of thousands of killed and injured in front of their mothers and children,” Yevgeny Prigojine slashed in a new video, hours after threatening to withdraw his men on May 10 from Bakhmout, where they are in front line, for lack of ammunition supplied by the army.
Wagner group threatens says it will leave Bakhmout on May 10, due to lack of ammunition
The boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said on Friday that he would be forced to withdraw on May 10 from the town of Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, because of a lack of ammunition blamed on the ‘army. If the Wagner group withdraws from Bakhmout where it is on the front line, this would put the Russian army in a delicate position, at a time when the forces of Kiev say they are completing their preparations before a major offensive presented as imminent. His boss, businessman Yevgeny Prigojine, has for months accused the Russian general staff of not providing enough ammunition to Wagner to deprive him of a victory in Bakhmout which would overshadow the army. regular.
But in two videos released Friday by his press service, Yevgeny Prigojine’s attacks reach an unprecedented level, exposing the acute tensions that exist within Moscow’s forces. “We were going to take the city of Bakhmout before May 9. When they saw this, the military bureaucrats stopped the deliveries” of ammunition, accuses businessman Evguéni Prigojine in a video published by his press service. “Therefore, from May 10, 2023, we will withdraw from Bakhmout,” he adds, saying he refuses that “(his) guys, without ammunition, suffer unnecessary and unjustified losses”. “We are waiting for an order to leave Bakhmout. We will be in Bakhmout until May 9 (…) After that, we will go to the camps in the back”, he adds.
This ultimatum comes after weeks of growing tensions between the Wagner group and the military. Evguéni Prigojine regularly accuses the general staff of not providing enough ammunition to his Wagner group, on the front line in the battle of Bakhmout, to deprive it of a victory which would overshadow the regular army.
In another particularly virulent video published overnight from Thursday to Friday, Yevgeny Prigojine specifically accuses Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov of being responsible for Wagner’s losses.
Wandering among dozens of bodies presented as those of members of Wagner killed in action, he launches: “They died so that you can fatten up in your offices!” “Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where are my fucking shells?!”, shouts Yevgeny Prigojine, his face contorted with rage and unleashing a shower of insults.
Wagner has suffered heavy losses in recent months
Wagner has suffered heavy losses in recent months trying to take the city of Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine. The paramilitary group has conquered a large part of the city, but is unable to take the last Ukrainian positions.
If the Kremlin denies any tension within the Russian forces, the latest statements by Yevgeny Prigojine prove the contrary. Yevgeny Prigojine accuses the Russian army command of not providing him with the ammunition he needs to prolong the battle of Bakhmout in order to weaken Wagner and prevent him from winning a victory which would contrast with the humiliating reverses suffered in the latter months by the regular forces.