Wagner's Prigozhin Asserts Bakhmut's Ukraine Defenders "Not Going Anywhere"

Prigozhin blames the Russian military for sacrificing his Wagner mercenaries in the earlier stages of the Bakhmut battle and is now annoyed that regular army and paratroop units are taking over for what they had hoped would be the victory. 

So his 'assessment' may be a jibe aimed at highlighting the struggles of his Russian military competition, but also serves to underscore the determination of the Ukrainian defenders there. JL  

Jeffrey Gettleman and Ivan Nechepurenko report in the New York Times:

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russia’s Wagner militia, said that Ukrainian forces were “not going anywhere” and were continuing to fight in Bakhmut, contradicting his previous assertions that the mercenaries he commands were close to taking control of the bitterly contested city in eastern Ukraine. He also appeared to resurrect some of his previous criticisms of the official Russian military, saying that better organization and more ammunition would be needed to push beyond the city.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russia’s Wagner militia, said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces were “not going anywhere” and were continuing to fight in Bakhmut, contradicting his previous assertions that the mercenaries he commands were close to taking control of the bitterly contested city in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainians “have organized defense inside the city,” Mr. Prigozhin said on his social media channel. “We cannot talk of any offensive yet.”

He also appeared to resurrect some of his previous criticisms of the official Russian military, saying that better organization and more ammunition would be needed to push beyond the city, a key to Russia’s stalled campaign to claim the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Bakhmut, the focus of 10 months of sustained fighting, has turned into a bleeding sore for the Russian and Ukrainian militaries, erasing entire neighborhoods and sapping their armies with tens of thousands of deaths and uncounted casualties.

Mr. Prigozhin’s comments came as something of a surprise. Russian forces now surround the city on three sides, and in recent days appeared to edge closer to the Ukrainian-controlled western side of Bakhmut.

And on Monday, Mr. Prigozhin said his fighters had raised Russia’s flag in the center of this city, saying that “legally, Bakhmut is taken.” That was followed on Wednesday by a vague hint from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that Ukraine might eventually retreat.

“For me, the most important issue is our military,” Mr. Zelensky said at a news conference during a visit to neighboring Poland on Wednesday. “Certainly, if there is a moment of even hotter events and the danger that we may lose personnel due to the encirclement, there will certainly be corresponding correct decisions of the general on the ground.”

Mr. Zelensky’s comments did not go beyond what his battlefield commanders have already said: If it appears that Ukrainian forces are about to be surrounded in Bakhmut, they will retreat to preserve lives.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian army’s general staff said in its daily evening bulletin that the assault on Bakhmut and nearby hamlets continued but that Ukrainian forces were still holding the line. “The enemy continues its offensive operations, attempting to take full control of the city of Bakhmut,” the bulletin said. “Fierce fighting continues.”

Mr. Prigozhin, who commands a private army that has waged some of the fiercest fighting on the Russian side, has frequently complained about a lack of support from Russia’s Defense Ministry.