Prigozhin, whose Wagner private militia spearheaded the Russian capture of the Ukrainian city Bakhmut, is resisting an order for mercenary groups like his to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry.
By REUTERS
Published: JUNE 22, 2023 16:50
Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin poses with mercenaries "Biber" and "Dolik" during a statement on the start of withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut and handing over their positions to regular Russian troops, on May 25, 2023.
(photo credit: PRESS SERVICE OF "CONCORD"/HANDOUT
VIA REUTERS)
Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin added fuel
to his feud with the top brass on Thursday, accusing them of lying to President
Vladimir Putin and the Russian people about the scale of Russian losses and
setbacks in Ukraine.
Prigozhin, whose Wagner
private militia spearheaded the Russian capture of the Ukrainian
city of Bakhmut last month, is resisting an order for mercenary groups
like his to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry before July 1.
Prigozhin portrays Wagner as Russia's most effective
fighting force, and has enjoyed unusual freedom to publicly criticize Moscow -
albeit not Putin, on whose support he and Wagner ultimately depend
Yet the order to bring militias under Moscow's direct
control suggested to some that he may have outlived his usefulness to Putin in
challenging a military hierarchy that has failed to deliver the rapid victory
he had hoped for.
Repeated criticism of
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
In a series of emotional audio messages over two days,
Prigozhin escalated his repeated criticism of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a
close Putin ally, and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff - by
accusing them of hiding Russia's "very serious losses on the front"
from Putin.
"Total trash is being put on the president's desk.
Shoigu and Gerasimov have a simple approach. The lie must be monstrous for
people to believe it. That is what they are doing," Prigozhin said in one
message.
"It's all being hidden from everyone. Russia will wake
up one day and learn that (Russian-annexed) Crimea has been handed over to the
Ukrainians ..
"They are misleading the Russian people and if it keeps
on like this we'll be left without the most important thing: Russia."
There was no immediate response from the Defense Ministry,
which has ignored previous complaints, in public at least.
But it repeatedly says Russian troops have repelled all the
attacks that Ukraine has launched in its two-week-old counteroffensive,
inflicting a heavy cost in equipment and manpower while suffering only small
losses itself.
Ukraine for its part has reported modest advances, which
President Volodymyr Zelensky says have been "slower than desired."
Reuters is unable to verify the battlefield accounts.
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