Russia's Lack of Ammo Deepening Rift With Wagner Group: U.K.
Moscow's apparent lack of ammunition for the ongoing war in Ukraine is deepening a rift between the Russian paramilitary outfit the Wagner Group and the country's defense ministry, the British Ministry of Defense has said.
"Paucity of ammunition drives internal divisions, most notably between Russia's Ministry of Defense and Wagner Group," the ministry said on Tuesday as part of its latest intelligence update on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The ministry's latest assessment followed a repeated plea by Wagner Group founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin to increase ammunition supplies. On Saturday Prigozhin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatened to pull his fighters out of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine if the defense ministry failed to deliver more supplies "immediately."
Russian billionaire and businessman, Concord catering company owner Yevgeny Prigozhin attends a meeting with foreign investors at Konstantin Palace June 16, 2016 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Prigozhin has threatened to pull his fighters out of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine if the defense ministry failed to deliver more ammunition. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
Until recently, the Wagner Group had been leading an offensive in Bakhmut. Prigozhin's fighters have reportedly been gradually replaced by conventional troops in the city.
Prigozhin has been asking for more ammunition for weeks from Russia's defense ministry, with Moscow looking to secure its first major battlefield victory since the summer of 2022 by capturing Bakhmut, a small industrial city with a pre-war population of about 70,000.
The fight for Bakhmut has become the longest-running battle since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The British defense ministry said Russia continues to give the highest priority to mobilizing its defense industry but "it is still failing to meet wartime demands."
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"While Russia's political leaders persist in demanding success on the battlefield, Russia's logistics professionals are stuck in the middle," it said.
Referencing Moscow military-linked social media reports, the ministry said it had been claimed that Russia's deputy defense minister, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, had been dismissed.
"Mizintsev held the military logistics portfolio, and had only been in post for eight months," it said.
Although his dismissal has not yet been confirmed, the British defense ministry said speculation about his future "highlights how logistics problems remain at the heart of Russia's struggling campaign in Ukraine."
"Russia does not have enough munitions to achieve success on the offensive," it added.
Prigozhin previously accused the Russian government of lying about providing the Wagner Group with the ammunition it needs. Prigozhin has published several clips alleging that the ministry is not providing the group with the ammunition it needs in its Bakhmut offensive.
On April 11, Prigozhin claimed his forces controlled more than 80 percent of the Bakhmut.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment via email.
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Source: Newsweek
