Wagner chief says his forces have begun receiving ammunition

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of Russian mercenary outfit Wagner, said on Monday that his forces have begun to receive badly-needed ammunition as battles rage in the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut.

In a series of profanity-laced videos, Prigozhin last week accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian military’s chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of withholding ammunition.

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Prigozhin’s Wagner group has spearheaded the grinding, months-long Russian assault on Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, almost capturing the city in the longest and bloodiest battle of the campaign.

Without more support, Prigozhin had said he would pull back his fighters on May 10.

In an audio message released by his spokespeople on Monday, Prigozhin said: “According to preliminary data, we are beginning to receive ammunition.”

He said that “fierce” battles were underway in Bakhmut, with his forces advancing.

Prigozhin added that Ukrainian troops still controlled “approximately 2.36 square kilometers” of territory in Bakhmut.

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