Had Been Criticized By The Boss Of Wagner Group, Moscow Agreed To Supply More Bullets For The Battle

JAKARTA - Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Russian mercenary force Wagner Group said on Thursday the much-needed ammunition for his troops had been delivered, after a public altercation, in which he accused the military leadership of treason.

Prigozhin on Wednesday published grisly images of dozens of people he said had been killed, as commanders including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov had withheld ammunition to anger him. The two did not comment, but the ministry rejected the accusations.

In an audio clip on Thursday, Prigozhin said he felt the pressure he and others had put on the Ministry of Defense had paid off, saying he was told ammunition was on its way.

"So far, everything is still on paper, but we were informed that the main documents have been signed," Prigozhin said.

"I want to thank everyone who helped us do this. You have saved hundreds, maybe thousands of lives of people who defended their homeland, giving them the opportunity to move on with their lives," he continued.

The ministry, in a statement late on Tuesday, said accusations that "attack troops" fighting in Ukraine were short of ammunition were "absolutely untrue" and complained - without naming Prigozhin - about attempts to create divisions working "solely in the interests of the enemy".

It is known that the Wagner Group has spearheaded Russia's months-long battle for the small town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, a fact which has been loudly advertised, and has helped Moscow to a small but steady victory.

However, in recent weeks, there have been signs that the Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense are trying to curb its growing influence.

Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said on Telegram he believed President Putin's Security Council had stepped in to resolve the ammunition problem.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday he wanted the fighting to stop.

"We must get rid of - I want to emphasize this - interdepartmental contradictions, formalities, grudges, misunderstandings, and other nonsense," he stressed.