"Cowardly bastards... Go to hell," declares Wagner chief in Russia, announces frontline withdrawal

Prigozhin Declares "Withdrawal from Bakhmut on the 10th"
"Forced into a Death Trap Without Ammunition Support," Claims

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian private mercenary company Wagner Group, harshly criticized Russia with explicit profanity and declared that they would soon withdraw from Bakhmut.

Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin is criticizing the Russian military command through a video. [AP=Yonhap News]

According to foreign media including CNN on the 5th (local time), Wagner founder Prigozhin announced on his social media account on the same day that they would withdraw from Bakhmut on the 10th.

In a video posted a day earlier, Prigozhin said, "The mercenaries deployed on the Bakhmut front are someone's fathers and someone's sons," and cursed harshly, saying, "You XXX who did not supply us with ammunition, cowardly bastards, will have your guts eaten in hell."

Prigozhin announced the withdrawal from Bakhmut on the 10th through his Telegram account. He stated, "On behalf of Wagner soldiers and the command, I announce that we have no choice but to hand over our positions in Bakhmut to the regular troops under the Ministry of Defense on the 10th," and added, "The troops remaining in Bakhmut will retreat to a supply camp for medical treatment."

He also blamed the Russian government, saying, "The withdrawal from Bakhmut is because soldiers inevitably lose their lives meaninglessly without ammunition. This is the fault of the Ministry of Defense."

Prigozhin made the statement against the backdrop of the bodies of Wagner Group mercenaries. CNN reported that it is unclear whether Prigozhin's declaration is a 'negotiation tactic' to secure more support or compensation.

Foreign media also pointed out that Prigozhin has often made impulsive remarks in the past, casting doubt on whether this announcement can be taken at face value.

The Wagner Group has led the offensive on Bakhmut since last year, but Prigozhin has frequently publicly criticized the military for the lack of support such as ammunition. Russia has been conducting the offensive on Bakhmut for over eight months but has not fully captured the city.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.