The leader of Wagner's mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, threatened to withdraw troops from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut if it is not supplied with weapons by the Russian army. In a video obtained by Reuters, Prigozhin - who is also known as "Putin's chef" after he once ran the Kremlin's catering company - announced that the troops he leads will leave on May 10.
"I am speaking in my name and in the name of Wagner's commanders and fighters," said Prigozhin. The statement was made a few hours after he published another video, where he insulted and accused Russia's generals for not sending armaments to the war front.
Posing next to the bodies of Wagner's slain soldiers, he says: “These are Wagner's men who died today. The blood hasn't dried yet. Film them all. Now, listen to me, you masquerades! These are fathers of children and sons of mothers. And those masquerades, who are not giving us the weapons, will end up in hell, rotting inside. We have 70% less weapons. Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where the hell are the weapons?! Look at them! If you give us the normal amount of weapons there will be five times less of these. They came here voluntarily. They're dying for you to hang out in your offices. Remember this!".
Wagner's role in the war in Ukraine has been increasing in recent months, but the often illegal and brutal tactics used by the mercenaries have left the death toll extremely high.
But that hasn't stopped Prigozhin from clashing with the highest Russian authorities, always careful to avoid direct attacks on Vladimir Putin. In February he accused Defense Minister Shoigu and General Gerasimov of treason.