Space Travel News
WAR REPORT
Wagner threatens Bakhmut pullout in attack on Russian army brass
Wagner threatens Bakhmut pullout in attack on Russian army brass
by AFP Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) May 5, 2023

Russian paramilitary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday threatened to pull frontline troops out of Bakhmut in an extraordinary attack on military chiefs that exposed a deep rift in Russian ranks ahead of an expected Ukrainian offensive.

In a series of scathing videos, Prigozhin blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov for "tens of thousands" of killed and wounded Russian fighters in Ukraine.

He vowed to hold them to account over what he said was a failure to provide fighters from his mercenary group, Wagner, with sufficient ammunition.

"For the tens of thousands killed and wounded, they will bear responsibility in front of their mothers and children, I will achieve that," he said.

"Their unprofessionalism is destroying tens of thousands of Russian guys and that is unforgivable."

Wagner has spearheaded the grinding, months-long Russian assault on Bakhmut, almost capturing the city in the longest and bloodiest battle of the campaign.

While Prigozhin has made similar threats to pull out in the past, the emotive language and the scathing personal criticism of the leaders of Russia's campaign in Ukraine were unprecedented.

- 'To lick our wounds' -

"On May 10, 2023 we will have to hand over our positions in Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw Wagner units to rear camps to lick our wounds," Prigozhin said in a written statement on Telegram.

"I will pull out Wagner units from Bakhmut because, in the absence of ammunition, they are facing a senseless death," he said, adding that he was now expecting a plan from the military on how to implement the withdrawal.

Ukraine said Friday that Russia was still "doing their best to take control of Bakhmut" in time for World War II Victory Day celebrations on May 9 -- Moscow's most important holiday and a central event under President Vladimir Putin's rule.

Ukraine is preparing a major offensive against Russian forces and experts say a series of sabotage attacks and long-distance strikes behind Russian lines are in preparation for that.

In the latest development, a fire broke out at an oil refinery in southern Russia on Friday -- a day after authorities confirmed a drone attack at the same facility.

Russia on Friday also announced the evacuation of some 70,000 people from areas near the front line in southern Ukraine, blaming an intensification of Ukrainian shelling on residential areas.

Earlier, Prigozhin posted a video on Telegram showing rows of what he said were dead Wagner fighters in which he blamed Shoigu and Gerasimov for their deaths.

- 'Dying so you can get fat' -

"Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is my fucking ammunition?" Prigozhin said in the video.

"They came here as volunteers and they are dying so you can get fat in your wood-panelled offices," he said, standing by the bodies.

"These guys are from Wagner. They died today. Their blood is still fresh," he said, adding that army chiefs "will go to hell".

"We have an ammunition shortage of 70 percent," he said in his tirade, in which several expletives were bleeped out.

"You sit in your (bleeped) expensive clubs... You think you are the masters of life and you have the right to decide on their lives," he said, pointing at the bodies.

Prigozhin is closely linked to Putin and the two started their careers in business and politics in their native Saint Petersburg following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In his statement on Friday, Prigozhin said his fighters had mobilised soon after the start of the campaign in Ukraine and helped Russian troops advance after a series of reversals.

"We will lick our wounds and when the motherland will be in danger -- we will again come to its defence. The Russian people can count on us," he said.

- 'Concrete actions' threat -

In a daily update on the offensive, the Russian army did not point to anything unusual, saying "assault units" continued to fight for the western part of the city "supported by paratroopers."

The row within Russian ranks came as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeated Russian accusations of US involvement in an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin.

During a visit to the Indian state of Goa for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, Lavrov said the attack could not have happened without Washington's awareness.

"We will respond with concrete actions," he said.

Ukraine has denied responsibility, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying "we do not attack Moscow or Putin."

The United States also rejected any accusation of involvement and accused the Kremlin of "lying" about its role in the drone attack.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Moscow on Thursday "not to use this alleged attack as an excuse to continue the escalation of the war."

Related Links
Space War News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WAR REPORT
Putin focused on consolidating Ukraine gains: US intel
Washington (AFP) May 4, 2023
Russian forces in Ukraine are so degraded they cannot mount any significant offensive moves and are focused for now on consolidating control of occupied territory, the US intelligence chief said Thursday. As Ukraine prepares for its own offensive in the coming months, Russian President Vladimir Putin still likely aims to prolong the conflict until Western support for Kyiv wanes, said Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. "Putin probably has scaled back his immediate ambitions to consol ... read more

WAR REPORT
WAR REPORT
Brushing Ubajnara: Sols 3819-3820

Examining a Potential Drill Spot: Sols 3817-3818

Alberta researcher to help select samples to bring back from Mars

Just a Little Scoot: Sols 3814-3816

WAR REPORT
Czech Republic latest nation to sign on to NASA's moon-focused Artemis Accords

Sidus Space and Lulav Space team up for navigation and control of lunar spacecraft

ShadowCam images Lunar south polar region

China's International Lunar Research Station advances

WAR REPORT
New video series captures team working on NASA's Europa Clipper

Work continues to deploy Juice RIME antenna

Juice's first taste of science from space

Icy Moonquakes: Surface Shaking Could Trigger Landslides

WAR REPORT
Invading insect could transform Antarctic soils

A stormy, active sun may have kickstarted life on Earth

Can ET detect us

Webb finds water vapor, but from a rocky planet or its star

WAR REPORT
Falcon Heavy launches massive GEO satellite for Viasat

SpaceX launches first expendable Falcon Heavy rocket

Conservation groups sue US regulator over SpaceX launches

A second pair of SES' O3b mPower satellites launched on a SpaceX rocket

WAR REPORT
Final frontier is no longer alien

China to promote space science progress on five themes

China to develop satellite constellation for deep space exploration

China's space missions break new ground

WAR REPORT
SOHO chases asteroid's tail

Asteroid's comet-like tail is not made of dust, solar observatories reveal

What colour is an asteroid? Hyperspectral imager to find out

China to launch Tianwen 2 mission to explore asteroid

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.