Ukraine Offensive Has 'Broken Through' Russian Lines: Prigozhin
The mercenary Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has called on Moscow to provide him with 200,000 troops in order to halt the long-promised Ukrainian counteroffensive, as assaults by Kyiv troops reportedly pushed past Russian defensive lines and made ground around the devastated Donetsk city of Bakhmut.
Prigozhin—well-known for his public bravado and criticism of the regular Russian military hierarchy—said in a video posted to his official Telegram channel on Tuesday that his Wagner organization is the only armed force capable of stopping the Ukrainian attack, which officials in Russia and the West say may have now begun.
"I need 200,000 people," Prigozhin said, as quoted in an article by The Moscow Times. "Less than 200,000 on the Luhansk-Donetsk frontline will not cope. We are ready to take full responsibility."
Ukrainian servicemen drive a tank on a road near the front line in the Donetsk region on June 5, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv says some of its troops have now switched to offensive operations. ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images
Disputes between Wagner and the Russian military over supplies in Bakhmut prompted Prigozhin to begin withdrawing his forces from the destroyed settlement last month. Wagner is believed to have suffered large losses in taking Bakhmut, its numbers bolstered by former Russian prisoners recruited to fight.
Prigozhin urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to announce a full national mobilization to expand its military forces, though added that without an adequate three-month training window, these newly raised units would be "cannon fodder." Wagner tactics have reportedly relied heavily on such "fodder" in Bakhmut.
Ukrainian forces, Prigozhin said, "have already broken through the line of defense" in several areas.
"Near Bakhmut in three places, in Toretsk there is a large accumulation, and soon they will begin to cut Kurdyumovka and Ozaryanovka. The Belgorod region is bursting at the seams. In Zaporizhzhia, they lost the most serious settlement. Now they will hit the north and south in the Donetsk direction and there will be no time. Aviation will not save [the situation]."
Prigozhin again hit out at the Russian Defense Ministry. "There is no management, there is no planning, there is no preparation, there is no mutual respect," he said. "And then all this is replaced by tantrums at the top...We will now suffer serious losses, I am absolutely sure of this. We will certainly lose part of the territories."
The southern front line south of Zaporizhzhia has been touted as one of the most likely locations for the expected Ukrainian counter. If Ukrainian troops can break Russian lines there, they could drive south to liberate Melitopol and on to the Sea of Azov coast, severing Moscow's land bridge to Crimea.
The situation in this area, Prigozhin said, is a "catastrophe." He added: "Novodonetskoye has already been taken. And if the troops retreat further, to a depth of 5 to 8 kilometers, this means that then there will be an uncontrolled entry of the enemy."
"We understand that at least another 50 percent of the inhabitants of this territory will help the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Therefore, as soon as they go a little deeper, then they will go to Berdyansk and Mariupol, and it will be impossible to stop them."
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.
Kyiv is maintaining operational silence on the expected counteroffensive. Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesperson Hanna Maliar said this week there would be no announcement on the start of the operation, though she also said units in some areas have now switched to "offensive actions."
Source: Newsweek
