Troops Short of Ammunition in Ukraine, Head of Russian Mercenary Accuses of Treason

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Yevgeny Prigozhin. (Wikimedia Commons/Government of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - The leader of the mercenary Wagner Group and Kremlin-linked businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused Russia's "decision makers" of treason for not providing his troops and military units with the military units of Russia's regular armed forces with the ammunition necessary for fighting in Ukraine.

“A criminal group does not provide us with ammunition,” Prigozhin said in a five-minute audio statement uploaded on Telegram on April 26, in which he reiterated the claim that ammunition was stockpiled in warehouses but not sent to the battlefield).

Prigozhin claimed his troops lacked ammunition to fight against Ukrainian artillery, due to "betrayal" by an unnamed top Russian official, who promised to reveal names "when the time comes".

"I think what happened today is a crime against Russia and the Russian people. The perpetrators must be held accountable," he stressed.

Prigozhin - who for months has publicly bickered with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the conduct of the war - says his troops have suffered five times as many casualties because of a lack of support from Moscow.

He also questioned why Russian troops did not launch attacks on the nearby cities of Sloviansk or Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine to reduce pressure on Bakhmut.

However, he said his troops would do anything to stop Ukraine's attempts to retake the town.

"We will advance at any cost, only to destroy the Ukrainian army and disrupt their offensive," Prigozhin said.

"We did everything we could with the minimum amount of ammunition we had now. The thugs made the decisions, they have to be accountable to the mothers, children and wives of those who died, because instead of one person, several people died at once. Instead of instead of one person, five people died when they stormed the building, because we didn't have any ammunition," he stressed.

Prigozhin added that a counterattack by the Ukrainian armed forces was "inevitable", adding that Wagner would be able to "stand here for another two to three weeks until the last bullet remains in the assault rifle magazine."

In an obvious attempt to justify the possible defeat of his troops, he added: "In general, Wagner's private military group has completed its historic mission."

Reported earlier, Russian Wagner Group mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Ukraine was preparing for an inevitable counteroffensive, sending well-prepared units to Bakhmut City.

"Today, well-trained enemy units have been thrown into Bakhmut... A counterattack by the Ukrainians is unavoidable," said Prigozhin, adding that he expected the campaign to start after May 2, when the weather had improved and the ground had hardened.