Russia’s Wagner group chief threatens to withdraw from Ukraine’s Bakhmut over ammunition shortage

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The head of Russia’s private military company Wagner on Friday threatened to withdraw his fighters from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine if the Russian Defense Ministry fails to provide them with more ammunition.

"I am officially addressing the chief of the General Staff, the minister of defense, the supreme commander-in-chief and the people of Russia ... On May 10, 2023, we will have to hand over our positions in Bakhmut to units of the Defense Ministry and withdraw Wagner units to rear camps to lick our wounds," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement.

He said that his group could take Bakhmut under control by May 9, but its offensive was stalled because of an ammunition shortage.

"Due to the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day," he said.

Prigozhin said he decided to withdraw the units from Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition, the Wagner fighters "are doomed to senseless death.”

Russian forces have been trying for months to capture Bakhmut, a transport and logistics hub in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which is part of the largely Russian-speaking industrialized Donbas region.