Russia-Ukraine War: The head of the “Wagner Force” militia, Yevgeny Prigozhincontinues to publicly criticize the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, against the background of the lack of achievements on the battlefield in Ukraine. Prigozhin attacked the Kremlin and said that “Moscow’s monstrous bureaucracy is to blame for slowing down military achievements and it may take months until the city is conquered by Akhmat.”
According to Prigozhin, the capture of the city of Akhmat may only take place around the month of April, “to capture it, you have to cut all the supply routes, this is a significant task, the progress is not as fast as we would like.” Prigozhin added that “there are a huge number of problems that need to be solved, of course it also depends on the number of losses on our side. However, we must also recognize the successes of the enemy, there is indeed a regular Russian army here and the Ukrainians have accurate artillery.”
The “Wagner” group (Photo: REUTERS/Igor Russak)
in parallel, Taras Dziyovaan officer in Ukraine’s 80th Air Assault Brigade, said that “the Russians are sending a lot of lives to Bakhmut, but I don’t think it’s ideal for them to continue attacking in this way. There are trenches where their bodies just pile up, they don’t evacuate their wounded and dead from the battlefield at all.” .
Meanwhile, the Russian forces continue to suffer heavy defeats on the battlefield, but continue to hide the number of casualties. Officials in Crimea said that “the incinerators work around the clock”. At the same time, Putin continues to adhere to his desire to conquer the city of Akhmat, when the fierce fighting over the industrial city in eastern Ukraine has become the longest and most exhausting battle in recent times for both sides, and has become the main target of the Russian army. The capture of the city would be a major victory for Moscow, but analysts say its capture would be purely symbolic, mainly because it has little strategic value.
Ukrainian army (Photo: REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi)
Last January, American intelligence claimed that the number of deaths on the Russian side since the beginning of the war was 180,000, and that the Russian army had lost more than 2,000 tanks. American intelligence sources also said that the number of wounded soldiers in the Russian army now stands at more than 100,000. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, stated that “Russia suffered a tremendous amount of casualties.”
The information from American intelligence sources comes after it was reported that the United States is changing its strategy towards Russia in the war. The United States has insisted for years that Crimea is part of Ukraine, despite the Russian annexation. However, the Biden administration has maintained a hard line since the war began and refuses to provide Kiev with The supply of the necessary weapons to Kiev in order to operate in the disputed peninsula.