Wagner has taken an increasingly visible role in the war in Ukraine as regular Russian troops have suffered heavy attrition and lost control over territory in humiliating setbacks. He has repeatedly complained that the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut, the reason he cited Friday for his withdrawal threat. The U.S. estimates Wagner has about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 of the convicts the company enlisted. Prigozhin himself accuses top-ranking Russian military officers of incompetence. If Prigozhin did pull Wagner’s troops out of Bakhmut, it would have serious implications, according to Michel said.

Source: thestar May 06, 2023 00:57 UTC