The head of the mercenary group that is leading Russia's struggling offensive in eastern Ukraine said Friday that his forces will withdraw from the high-profile battle for Bakhmut next week due to a lack of military support.
Yevgeny Prigozhin's sudden announcement marked the latest dramatic escalation in his feud with Moscow's military leadership. It followed a furious tirade in a graphic video Prigozhin posted to Telegram Thursday night, in which he appeared to be surrounded by dead bodies as he blamed defense chiefs for the heavy losses suffered by his Wagner Group fighters.
Hours after his expletive-laden rant, Prigozhin said he would hand over control of the grueling Bakhmut offensive to Russian army forces on May 10 due to a shortage of ammunition supplies.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
"I’m pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they’re doomed to perish senselessly," he said, adding that his forces would "lick our wounds."
It was unclear whether Prigozhin's statement was a serious declaration of intent, given his history of sarcasm and reversals, but either way it appeared to represent a new stage in an internal battle that threatened to undermine the Kremlin's hopes of progress on the battlefield. The Kremlin said it had seen his announcement but could not comment.
Read the full story at NBCNews.com
