Russian Wagner boss claims there was “betrayal” in the Bakhmut conflict

In its quest to seize control of Bakhmut, the Wagner private army of Russia, according to its commander, is not receiving the munitions it requires from Moscow.

Months of ferocious battle have taken place in the eastern city as Wagner and regular Russian troops attempt to take it.

But Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin believes his army’s lack of weapons might be “ordinary bureaucracy or a treason”.

The president of Ukraine and top military officials have decided to bolster their defense of Bakhmut.

Despite the fact that many observers believe the city has no military relevance and has merely become a symbolic prize in the war despite Russia’s apparent determination to seize it for months.

This is not the first time Mr. Prigozhin has claimed that the Russian defense ministry is depriving the mercenaries of the ammunition they require, and in recent weeks there appears to have been an intensification of their apparent rivalry with the regular Russian army.

On Sunday, Mr. Prigozhin posted on social media that the paperwork had been signed on February 22 and that munitions would be delivered to Bakhmut the following day.

Yet the majority had not been shipped, he claimed, before speculating that it might be on purpose.

In a further indication of the divide, Mr. Prigozhin claimed on Monday that his envoy was unable to enter the Russian military command headquarters. The location of the corporate headquarters is unknown.

According to Mr. Prigozhin, that happened after he wrote to Valery Gerasimov, the commander of Russia’s “special military operation,” requesting weapons on an urgent basis.

Separately, Mr. Prigozhin stated that his soldiers believed they were being “set up” as scapegoats in the event that Russia lost its battle in Ukraine in a video that was published on Saturday but appeared to have been shot in February.

He claimed that if they took a step back, they would be remembered for being the ones who initiated the war’s eventual defeat.

“And this is exactly the issue with the shell hunger [lack of ammo]. This is the view of common combatants, not mine.

What if they [the Russian authorities] intend to set us up by claiming that we are scoundrels and that is why they are withholding guns, ammo, and permission to restock our staff, including [recruiting] prisoners?

In the video from Saturday, Mr. Prigozhin added that Russia’s front line would crumble without his soldiers.

He said that the Wagner troops were destroying the “entire Ukrainian army” and preventing it from focusing on other areas of the front.

What are the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries doing in Ukraine?
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces were likely undertaking a “limited combat withdrawal” in eastern Bakhmut on Monday.

Yet, it was also stated that Ukraine “continues to inflict severe fatalities” on Russian forces.

The military leaders of the Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, were in favor of continuing operations to protect and bolster positions in Bakhmut.

Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of the nation’s ground forces, and Valery Zaluzhny, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, met with President Zelensky, according to a statement from the president’s office.

“For continuing the defensive operation and further fortifying our positions in Bakhmut,” they argued.

The deputy mayor of Bakhmut told the BBC on Saturday that Russian and Ukrainian forces were engaged in street fighting.

Oleksandr Marchenko asserted that Russian forces have not yet taken control.

The only thing on their minds, according to Mr. Marchenko, is killing people and committing the genocide of the Ukrainian people. They have no intention of saving the city.

Separately, a year after his soldiers besieged the city, Mr. Shoigu of Moscow visited the occupied city of Mariupol while on a tour to eastern Ukraine.

According to the defense ministry, he was evaluating work done to “restore infrastructure in the Donbas.” Given that Russia is to blame for the destruction, the terms “repair infrastructure in the Donbas” are certain to irritate Ukrainians.