JAKARTA - The head of Russia's Wagner Group mercenary squad Yevgeny Prigozhin who is fighting in eastern Ukraine said on Tuesday he had been told that he and his men would be considered traitors if they left their positions in Bakhmut City.
However, Prigozhin said firmly for the second time in a matter of days, his troops would leave Bakhmut if they did not receive the ammunition they needed to suppress the battle.
He conveyed his latest outrage in an audio message, which coincided with celebrations for the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, with the traditional parade taking place in Moscow's Red Square.
"A combat order came yesterday which clearly states that if we leave our positions (in Bakhmut), it will be considered as treason against the Motherland. That is a message to us," Prigozhin said, citing Reuters, May 10.
"(But) if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our position and be the ones to ask who really betrayed the Motherland? Apparently, the one who betrayed the Motherland was the one who signed it (the order to supply too little ammunition," he insisted.
He said his troops would remain in Bakhmut, but insisted they should get ammunition "for a few more days".
Prigozhin previously accused the Ministry of Defense of deliberately keeping his troops short on ammunition. The ministry said it was working to ensure all units on the battlefield had what they needed.
On Monday, Prigozhin said there were signs the ammunition problem had been resolved. But on Tuesday he said the number of shipments had been cut.
"They only gave us 10 percent of what we asked for. We have been conned," he said.
Prigozhin, who has long been at odds with the Defense Ministry, has made a series of emotional statements in recent days, announcing his troops would withdraw from Bakhmut over an ammunition problem, before saying they would stay, and again implying they would leave.
He made cryptic but harsh comments about those overall responsible for Russia's war in Ukraine on Tuesday, referring ambiguously to a "grandfather" figure who was under the mistaken impression that everything was going well with Russia's "special military operations" in Ukraine.
"What will this country, our children, our grandchildren, who are the future of Russia, do, and how can we win this war if - by chance, and I'm only speculating here - this grandfather turns out to be a 'bastard'? " he asked.
Prigozhin has previously leveled insults at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, but he has avoided personal criticism of President Vladimir Putin.
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Separately, analysts said his erratic behavior appeared to be an attempt to deflect blame for a lack of quick success, the fighting in Bakhmut was in its 10th month and to spread disinformation.
In an interview with the Ministry of Defense, Prighozin, who said his men had controlled 95% of Bakhmut's territory, alleged that some of the regular troops had fled from their positions nearby and abandoned Wagner's left flank temporarily, a problem the son had to fix the fruit.
"This is not a problem about soldiers. The problem is the people who manage them and give them tasks. The fish are rotting from the head," he said, citing orders given by what he called a small group of "criminals" and "traitors".
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