Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia's private mercenary organization, the Wagner Group, seemed to retract his previous statement about withdrawing his forces from Bakhmut, a Ukrainian city that has been under continuous attack. Prigozhin, a known associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had released disturbing videos of deceased troops last week, criticizing the military leaders for not supplying sufficient ammunition.
However, on Sunday, Prigozhin announced that the Defense Ministry had pledged support to continue the fight. In an audio statement via Telegram, he revealed that they had been promised ample ammunition and armament to persist in their efforts. This followed Prigozhin's previous criticism of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, who are supervising the Ukraine conflict for Moscow.
Although Prigozhin has consistently criticized the Kremlin's military establishment without evident consequences, his frustrations over ammunition shortages were likely genuine. Anna Arutunyan, a fellow at the Wilson Center, mentioned that bodies are accumulating and ammunition is in short supply as Russia anticipates a counteroffensive from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is preparing for its long-anticipated spring counteroffensive. Throughout the winter, neither side made substantial progress, with the most intense fighting concentrated in Bakhmut and nearby towns. The White House reported last week that Russia has experienced 100,000 casualties since December, with over 20,000 killed. Moscow has dismissed these U.S. estimates as baseless.
Keep in mind that everything he says goes straight to Russian ears. Funny how people expect transparency as if there was no war raging in one of the largest European countries. Like they never heard of military secrecy.