The pinnacle of the Wagner personal navy group on Monday rejected a report that he had provided to share with Ukraine the positioning of Russian Military troops round Bakhmut in change for a withdrawal of Kyiv’s forces from the realm in jap Ukraine.
The Wagner group has been a driving drive behind Russia’s monthslong battle to take Bakhmut, which has price 1000’s of lives on either side and diminished a lot of town to rubble. Its founder, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, has publicly clashed with Russia’s navy management over the combat for town, accusing them of ravenous his forces of ammunition.
The Washington Publish reported on Sunday {that a} U.S. intelligence doc leaked on the messaging platform Discord stated that Mr. Prigozhin informed contacts in Ukraine’s navy intelligence directorate that he was keen to betray the Russian military’s places round Bakhmut if Kyiv agreed to withdraw from round Bakhmut. A Ukrainian official informed The Publish that Mr. Prigozhin’s supply — made “greater than as soon as” — had been rejected.
In an audio statement printed on Monday by his press service, Mr. Prigozhin referred to as the report “hypothesis” and a “hoax.” He recommended that Russia’s corrupt elites, who he stated envied his fighters’ achievements on the entrance strains in Ukraine and had been desirous to tank his status, might be accountable.
Mr. Prigozhin’s mercenaries have taken lead in attempting to seize Bakhmut, the positioning of the longest and one of many bloodiest battles of the conflict, whereas Russian troops have managed the realm across the metropolis’s flanks. Over the previous couple of weeks, Mr. Prigozhin has stepped up his accusations of incompetence in opposition to the Russian navy management.
Regardless of overtly feuding with high Russian officers, Mr. Prigozhin has been cautious to not criticize President Vladimir V. Putin.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the spokesman for Mr. Putin, stated that he wouldn’t touch upon The Publish’s report, however stated that “it seems like one other hoax.”