Putin's Close Ally Slams Russian Army, Says 'Front Will Collapse' If Wagner Retreats

The head of mercenary outfit Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is fiercely ambitious — AFP

KEY POINTS

Prigozhin called out the Russian Defense Ministry for failing to supply Wagner fighters with ammunition
He said Ukraine will break through Luhansk and take back Crimea if Wagner fighters retreat
Russia has so far made limited advances in its battle in the city of Bakhmut

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's infamous Wagner private military company (PMC), has slammed Moscow's army for failing to supply the group with ammunition to use in the war in Ukraine.

Prigozhin also called out the Russian Defense Ministry for refusing to allow the Wagner group to recruit more convicts to its ranks due to ammunition famine, according to a video shared on Twitter by Ukraine's internal ministry advisor Anton Gerashchenko.

"This is exactly the problem with ammunition hunger. Regular fighters, they will come and say, 'Boss, could it be that this story is being played up somewhere deep in the Defense Ministry, or maybe higher, in order to explain to the Russian people why we ended up in this trouble? What if they want to set us up and say we are villains, and that's why we aren't given ammo and weapons and allowed to reinforce personnel, including convicts?'" Prigozhin said in the video.

Prigozhin began to sadly predict Russian defeats - "If today Wagner retreats from Bakhmut, whole frontline will crumble".

He panics about "ammunition famine" and threatens that if Wagner is forced to retreat, flanks break, whole Luhansk region & Crimea will be surrendered etc. pic.twitter.com/89pOKSrHcf
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 5, 2023

Additionally, the Wagner leader claimed that Russia would likely suffer defeat in the war if his men were to now "retreat" from their positions in the embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

"If Wagner Group retreats from Bakhmut, the entire front will collapse," he said, adding, "If the Wagner Group rolls back now, then the following situation is happening in history: it is clear that the front will collapse to the Russian border, and it may continue to extend."

Prigozhin further said that the Wagner group's retreat would give Ukrainian forces an opportunity to retake control of Luhansk, Sorokyne, Krasnodar and Crimea.

It is unclear when or where the video was taken as it did not have a time stamp or date. It was also not publicly posted to the Wagner group's official Telegram page.

Prigozhin's remarks come as the situation in Bakhmut remains tense, with Ukrainian forces still holding firm. At the same time, Russia continues to make limited advances that analysts have described as a "positional advantage," as per the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts believe it is unlikely that Russia will be able to encircle the city any time soon, noting that Ukrainian forces have already blown up two bridges connecting Bakhmut to its last main supply route from Chasiv Yar.