Because of an alleged lack of ammunition at the front in Ukraine, the head of the notorious Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has stormed with severe insults against the military leadership in Moscow.
A published video shows the 61-year-old in front of numerous bodies lined up in a meadow in the dark. “These are Wagner fighters who were killed today. The blood is still fresh,” says the visibly upset Prigozhin.
Then he addresses Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov – and yells into the camera: “Shoigu, Gerasimov, where the damn shit is the ammunition?” Then he continues to scold: “You beasts, you sit in expensive clubs, your children enjoy life and record YouTube clips.” If his squad had enough ammunition, the death toll would be five times lower, he claimed.
In the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for more than 14 months, Prigozhin’s mercenaries, who are notorious for their brutal actions, are currently fighting primarily for the city of Bakhmut. Against the background of the extremely costly battles, power struggles between the Wagner boss and Russia’s regular army are becoming more and more common. Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized the fact that his men are not being adequately cared for. In the meantime, he even threatened to withdraw them from Bachmut.
Also on Thursday, nationalist Russian military bloggers reported that Mikhail Mizintsev, recently sacked as deputy defense minister, has been appointed deputy commander of the Wagner force. However, this has not yet been officially confirmed.
