The head of the Wagner Group contradicts Vladimir Putin by saying that the Russian army is retreating in several sectors
The Russian army is retreating in several sectors of southern and eastern Ukraine, said Friday the head of the Wagner Group, Evgueni Prigojine, contradicting the Kremlin, which assures that the counter-offensive of Kiev is a failure.
“The army [russe] withdraws to Zaporizhia and Kherson areas [Sud]the Ukrainian Armed Forces are pushing »said the boss of the mercenary group in a video interview published on Telegram by his press service. “The same is happening in Bakhmout [Est]the enemy will penetrate deeper and deeper into our defence”he adds.
“There is no control, there are no military successes” of Moscow, still stings Mr. Prigojine, affirming that the Russian military “wash themselves with their blood”a way of saying that they suffer heavy losses.
Unverifiable from an independent source, his remarks in any case contradict those of the Russian president and his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, according to whom the Russian army “repel” all the Ukrainian assaults. Over the past few days, Mr. Putin has repeated that the Ukrainian counter-offensive was a failure and that the forces in kyiv had suffered near casualties. “catastrophic”.
Mr. Prigozhin also calls it “deep deception” the victorious declarations of the Russian Ministry of Defense, accusing the General Staff of ” hide “ Russian difficulties and losses on the ground.
Proof, however, that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is taken very seriously by Moscow, Mr. Putin spoke several times in a few days about the situation on the battlefield. Until now, he was not in the habit of commenting in detail on what was going on there.