Ukraine fights back near Bakhmut, Wagner boss and Russian official say
[1/2] View of military vehicles as Ukrainian forces destroy Russian positions in direction of Bakhmut, near Klischiivka, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, in this screengrab taken from a video released on June 4, 2023. 3rd Assault Brigade / Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
June 5 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had retaken part of a village near Bakhmut, and a top Russian-backed official said the military situation around the city was difficult.
Prigozhin's private Wagner militia captured Bakhmut last month after the longest battle of the war and handed its positions there to regular Russian troops. Since then, Ukraine has continued to attack areas north and south of the city.
"Now part of the settlement of Berkhivka has already been lost, the troops are quietly running away. Disgrace!" Prigozhin said in an audio message published by his press service.
Berkhivka lies about 3 km (1.9 miles) northwest of Bakhmut, and Wagner claimed its capture on Feb. 24.
Denis Pushilin, the top Moscow-backed official in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk region, which includes Bakhmut, told Russian state television the situation on the city's flanks was "under control" but "very difficult".
Prigozhin urged Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, to come to the front to rally the troops.
"Come on, you can do it!" he said in his message. "And if you can't, you'll die heroes."
Prigozhin has waged a public feud with Shoigu and Gerasimov for months, frequently accusing them of failing to provide sufficient ammunition and support for Wagner in the field, and so causing it to suffer needlessly heavy losses.
In recent days, Prigozhin has further escalated the feud, accusing regular forces under the command of the defence ministry of mining roads out of Bakhmut used by Wagner units.
Prigozhin's press service published video on Monday showing the interrogation of a captive who identified himself as a lieutenant colonel in Russia's 72nd motorised rifle brigade, which has fought around Bakhmut, and which Prigozhin previously blamed for losing ground around Berkhivka.
The video had the appearance of a forced confession, with the man responding in a low voice to harsh questioning. He said he had drunkenly fired on a Wagner vehicle, and had disarmed a group of mercenary fighters out of "personal hostility" to the Wagner Group. Asked how his actions could be characterised, he replied, after a long pause: "Guilty".
Reporting by Mark Trevelyan and Felix Light
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Source: Reuters
