Wagner chief Prigozhin ditches plans to withdraw forces from Ukraine's Bakhmut

The head of the Wagner Mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, backtracked on the threat to pull from the Eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after being promised more ammunition. Earlier this week, the Wagner boss declared that his men would leave the area by May 10 because of the heavy casualties they have incurred in the ongoing war. At that time, Prigozhin stated that the inadequate supply of ammunition was disrupting their operation in the region. However, the mercenary group head backtracked on his proclamation in a new message which was posted on Telegram. In the post, he stated that he had changed his mind after “concessions” from the Russian government, CNN reported. 

"The bottom line is the following: they promise to give us ammunition and weapons, as much as we need to continue further actions. They swear to us that everything that is necessary will be on the flank so the enemy сan't cut us off. We are told that we can act in Bakhmut as we see fit," Prigozhin asserted in the post, as per the report by CNN. In the previous video, the Wagner Boss said that the private mercenary group’s position would be transferred to Chenchen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s forces from May 10. In another video, the Wagner chief cursed at Russian Defence chiefs while standing in front of 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground.

Prigozhin backtracks on prospects of disbandment of the group

In the latest proclamation on Sunday, Prigozhin backtracked on his previous claims that Wagner might be disbanded. “I specifically asked a question to all junior commanders, who immediately brought it to the attention of the fighters: if someone wants, they can go to other military formations. Everyone unequivocally answered 'No,’” he stated in a recent post, CNN reported. In the explicit video shared on Friday, Prigozhin claimed that the body he was standing next to was the body of the Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone. 

Wagner PMC's Prigozhin has lost it. Hard not to interpret this as a declaration of war against Russia's Defence Minister Shoigu and Armed Forces Chief Gerasimov. Yesterday, Wind of Change mentioned that FSB resources are being diverted to prevent a coup. pic.twitter.com/MvMs3el5YG

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko)

“These are someone’s fathers and someone’s sons,” Prigozhin stated, pointing at the bodies. “The scum that doesn’t give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell,” the Wagner boss exclaimed. This is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages. Last month, he threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut in an interview with a Russian blogger, AP news reported. Hence, the animosities between Prigozhin’s mercenary group and the Russian military have been long-running.