The Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary company that has taken control of the eastern Ukrainian battleground Bahmut, is advancing into the center of the city and speeding up complete occupation.
In a video posted on social media on the 11th, founder Yevgeny Prigozin, the actual owner of the Wagner Group, revealed that his troops were close to the administrative center of Bahmut.
In the video, which was filmed on the roof of a high-rise building, the founder of Prigogine pointed to the building where the smoke was rising and said, “Bahmut Municipal Administration Building.”
“That place is only 1.2 kilometers from here,” he explained.
On the same day (11th), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DI) under the British Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Wagner group had taken most of the area east of Bahmut.
■ Ukrainian army, defensive operation in the west…”Russian troop loss bar”
In response, Ukrainian forces hold a defensive perimeter from the west, bordered by the Bahmut River, which runs through the city from north to south.
However, it is not easy to carry out the mission as the supply route is in danger of being blocked due to pressure from the Wagner Group and the Russian regular army.
See also: “Russian mercenaries occupy most of the eastern part of Bakhmut”…Ukrainian military supply line is in danger ‘crisis of isolation’
On the 12th, the Eastern Command of Ukraine explained that there had been 23 clashes with the Russians in Bahmut over the past 24 hours.
“In the course of the fighting, 221 Russian soldiers were killed and 314 wounded,” it announced.
According to Ukrainian figures, the daily casualties of the Russian side, led by the Wagner group, in the Bahmut area are more than 500.
Russia is continuing its offensive to capture Bahmut at the cost of huge military losses.
■ Prigozhin announces candidacy for president of Ukraine
Wagner’s group started recruiting new mercenaries to supplement the lost power in Bahmut.
Previously, the founder of the Wagner Group, Prigozine, said on the 10th that recruitment was resumed in 42 cities in Russia.
In the midst of this, the founder of Prigozin announced on the 11th that he would run for the Ukrainian presidential election in 2024.
“I have decided to run for the Ukrainian presidential election in 2024,” the founder of Prigozhin said in a video message on social media that day.
“Everything will be fine,” he said.
He added, “(If I am elected) there will be no need for ammunition.”
Prigozhin, the head of the Russian Wagner Group, announces that he will run in the Ukrainian presidential election in 2024.He doesn’t realize that he will run much earlier than that, all the way back to Siberia. pic.twitter.com/kgx2vjRmRZ
— Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) March 11, 2023
Earlier on the 9th, the founder of Prigogine said that he had been blocked from all government communication channels, including the Russian Ministry of Defense, because of his demand to provide more ammunition to the Wagner Group troops.
The Wagner group is leading the Battle of Bahmut, but the founder of Prigogine is raising his voice recently saying that the chronic supply problem from the Russian authorities has not been resolved.
In fact, it is understood that the procurement of ammunition, etc., is further disrupted due to the decline in weapons and munitions production capacity due to Western sanctions, etc., and the conflict within the Russian military.
■ Not the Russian presidential election?
Known as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest aides, Prigozhin’s founder has long been known for his political ambitions.
The founder of Prigozhin is forming a group of ‘patriotic conservatives’ critical of the elite bureaucrats in Russian politics.
Through this, observations have been raised that he will build an independent force and run for the Russian presidential election next year.
However, it is interesting that he announced his intention to run in the Ukrainian presidential election rather than the Russian presidential election.
In response, Anton Gerashchenko, assistant to Ukraine’s interior minister, explained that “Prigozhin’s remarks are intended to divert attention away from Putin’s political ambitions of dreaming of a successor.”
It is a message intended to ease friction with high-ranking Russian authorities.
This is VOA News Jongsu Oh.
