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Wagner mercenary group leader Prigozhin accuses Russia’s defense ministry of “treason”
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the management of the Russian Protection Ministry of what he known as “treason” for an alleged try to destroy his personal navy firm, in an audio recording printed Tuesday by his press service on Telegram.
“The Chief of the Normal Workers and the Minister of Protection are handing out instructions proper and left, that the Wagner PMC shouldn’t obtain ammunition, they’re additionally not serving to with air transport,” Prigozhin claimed within the recording.
“There’s direct opposition, which is known as nothing greater than an try to destroy PMCs,” he mentioned. “This may be equated to excessive treason now when Wagner PMC are combating for Bakhmut, shedding lots of of their fighters every single day.”
Within the audio recording, a seemingly pissed off Prigozhin additionally complained in regards to the excessive variety of deaths inside Wagner, citing a constant lack of provides.
“Wagner PMCs do not need ammunition. Why do the remainder of the items even have a continuing scarcity of ammunition? A handful of navy functionaries determined that that is their nation, their individuals, who determined that these individuals would die when it fits them,” he mentioned.
CNN can not independently confirm Prigozhin’s claims in regards to the Protection Ministry and an ammunition storage.
Some key background: Tuesday’s feedback echo feedback that Prigozhin made on Monday, when he claimed twice as many fighters of Wagner and different navy items are dying every single day “as a result of whole shell starvation after we’re not allowed to make use of what there’s in warehouses.”
The Wagner chief, who has no official place, has been unusually public in his criticism of a few of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s generals. He has been in a long-standing feud with the Ministry of Protection, publicly blaming the present management for heavy losses and defeats in Ukraine.
Whereas he as soon as operated principally within the shadows, his profile has grown in latest months as leveled scathing public criticism at Russian navy officers for his or her failures in Ukraine whereas supplying 1000’s of Wagner forces – many recruited from prisons – to wage conflict within the nation’s east.
The US authorities estimates that the Wagner group has suffered greater than 30,000 causalities, together with roughly 9,000 lifeless within the battle for the town of Bakhmut. About half of these 9,000 have been killed since mid-December, US Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson John Kirby mentioned final week. And about 90% of these killed in December have been recruited from Russian prisons, he mentioned.
CNN’s Sam Fossum contributed reporting to this put up.