The head of the private military group Wagner on Monday denied a report that he had offered to share with Ukraine the location of Russian troops around Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, in exchange for the withdrawal of Kiev’s troops. out of the area.
The Wagner group was the driving force behind Russia’s months-long war to capture Bakhmut, which has claimed thousands of lives on both sides and reduced much of the city to rubble. Its founder, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, was open conflict to the Russian military leadership in the battle for the city, accusing them of starving his forces.
washington articles report on sunday that a leaked US intelligence document on the Discord messaging platform says that Prigozhin told contacts on Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate that he was willing to betray Army locations. Russian team around Bakhmut if Kyiv agrees to withdraw from the city. A Ukrainian official told The Post that Mr Prigozhin’s offer – made “more than once” – was turned down.
in one sound declare Published by his press service on Monday, Mr Prigozhin called the report “speculation” and a “hoax”. He suggested that Russia’s corrupt elites, who he said were jealous of his fighters’ achievements on the front lines in Ukraine and wished to tarnish his reputation, could be responsible.
Prigozhin’s mercenaries took the lead in trying to capture Bakhmut, the site of the longest and bloodiest battle of the war, while the Russian army took control of the area around the city’s flanks. city. Over the past few weeks, Mr. Prigozhin has stepped up accusations of incompetence by the Russian military leadership.
Despite his public enmity with top Russian officials, Mr. Prigozhin was careful not to criticize President Vladimir V. Putin.
Dmitri S. Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said he would not comment on The Post’s report, but said “it’s like another hoax.”
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence service, also did not comment on The Post’s report, but said on national television on Monday that Ukraine should “discuss such matters when necessary and in accordance with Ukraine’s national interests.”
