The head of private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has blamed Russia's defense chiefs for the deaths of his fighters in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. In a video posted on the Telegram messaging app, Prigozhin challenged Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov, saying, "We are lacking 70% of the needed ammunition!" He claimed that the corpses of his fighters laid out behind him were casualties of just one day of fighting.
Prigozhin has been highly visible on the front lines of the Ukraine conflict, where his Wagner mercenary group has taken on a growing role as Russian forces falter. In recent months, he has claimed credit for territorial gains, particularly in the battles around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. However, he has repeatedly complained about insufficient support from the Kremlin in the fight for the city.
Despite making similar appeals for ammunition in the past, Prigozhin's latest video message on Friday threatened to withdraw his troops from Bakhmut on May 10 due to a lack of ammunition. He stated that the Wagner fighters would transfer positions in the settlement to units of the Defense Ministry and withdraw to logistics camps to "lick our wounds." He blamed the lack of support on Shoigu and Gerasimov, stating that they would bear responsibility for the deaths of "tens of thousands" of Wagner fighters.
The Wagner group is known for its brutal and often lawless tactics, with little formal training provided to new recruits. This has resulted in high numbers of casualties, with retired United States Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling describing the process as "like feeding meat to a meat grinder." Prigozhin's clashes with Shoigu and Gerasimov have raised questions about possible elite infighting in Moscow.
Amid the public feud, Shoigu inspected troops and military equipment in Russia's southern military district on Friday, promising military supplies. The statement released by the Russian military said that Shoigu has instructed "to keep under special control the issues of continuous and rhythmic supply of the groups of troops in the areas of the special military operation with all the necessary weapons and military equipment." However, it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to satisfy Prigozhin and the Wagner fighters on the front lines in Ukraine.
