Russia-Ukraine war: Wagner chief says Ukrainian forces not abandoning Bakhmut

The head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group said that there have been no signs of withdrawal by Ukrainian forces in the key city of Bakhmut as fighting for control of the territory continues. He noted that even if Ukrainian forces withdrew from Bakhmut, Wagner would need more support from the Russian military before making any further advances.

In a post on the Telegram messaging platform on Thursday, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that Ukrainian forces have given no indication of withdrawing from Bakhmut, where fighting has been going on for months. Wagner forces have been leading the fighting in Bakhmut, and Prigozhin said that Ukrainian forces have put up staunch defenses in the city, citing the railway lines and high-rise buildings west of the city. Prigozhin said that even if they fell back, they would only take up new positions in the outskirts of Bakhmut and in Chasiv Yar in the west.

“It must be said clearly that the enemy is not going anywhere,” said Prigozhin, adding that he does not think there is a coming Russian offensive for now.

The Wagner chief made clear that he was not satisfied with the support they received from Russia’s mainstream military forces, including the units that were attacking the adjacent areas in the front. Prigozhin said it had been a while since he last saw General Sergei Surovikin, who was the commander of Russia’s Ukraine campaign before the Russian chief of the general staff, General Valery Gerasimov, took over all operational command above Surovikin.

“The first question is to make sure that our flanks are well protected (that’s with a big exclamation mark),” said the post. “The second is to make sure that our command is properly organized. And third, it’s ammunition (another exclamation mark).”

Prigozhin has previously accused Russia of depriving his fighters of ammunition and its military leaders of ineffectiveness that bordered on treason.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed his country’s ties with Poland during a visit to Warsaw this week. Zelenskyy thanked Ukraine’s neighboring country for providing military assistance and for welcoming Ukrainian refugees. During Zelenskyy’s visit, Polish President Andrzej Duda also pledged to provide Ukraine with 10 additional MiG-29 fighter jets.