Friday May 12, 2023
Ukraine confirms land gains Another tease: Prigozhin invites Shoigu to the front
A Ukrainian fighter targets Russian attackers near Bakhmut.
(Photo: picture alliance/dpa/AP)
The Wagner boss, Russian war bloggers and now also the Ukraine confirm territory gains at Bachmut. Only the Russian military leadership disagrees. Reason enough for Prigozhin to invite his intimate enemy, Defense Minister Shoigu, to the front to get an idea.
The head of the Wagner mercenary unit, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has invited Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to the embattled city of Bakhmut to assess the situation. “In view of the difficult operational situation and your many years of combat experience, I ask you to come to Bakhmut, which is under the control of Russian military units, and assess the situation independently,” Prigozhin wrote in an open letter to the minister, which he sent to the telegram. channel of his press service published.
The Russian military leadership had previously rejected the claim by Prigozhin and numerous Russian war bloggers that the Ukrainian fighters had recaptured large areas near Bakhmut. “The individual statements on Telegram about a ‘breakthrough’ at several points on the front line do not correspond to reality,” said the Defense Ministry in Moscow.
In addition to Russian sources, Ukraine has now officially confirmed successes in the heavily contested city for the first time. “Our defenders advanced two kilometers in the Bakhmut sector,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Telegram. In addition, no positions were abandoned in the city itself during the week, and the Russian enemy was inflicted heavy losses. This confirms the Ukrainian side Reports by Wagner boss Prigozhin and Russian war bloggers.
The relationship between Prigozhin and Shoigu is tense. In the past, the mercenary boss has repeatedly complained publicly about what he believes to be a lack of support from the Ministry of Defense – and in some cases attacked Shoigu personally. The invitation can also be understood as mockery – especially the insertion with the “many years of combat experience”. Shoigu, although he has the title of army general, never served in the armed forces, something that Russian military bloggers have repeatedly criticized.
Prigozhin accuses the ministry of supplying him with too little ammunition to attack effectively. Most recently, he also complained about the lack of flank protection by regular units. His mercenaries ran the risk of being encircled in Bakhmut. The Ministry of Defense rejected these allegations.
Source: ntv.de
as/dpa
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