Wagner chief dismisses ‘laughable’ Washington Post story
Wagner chief rejects ‘laughable’ Washington Post story he offered to give Ukraine Russian troop positions
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group on Monday denounced reports that he had offered information about Russian troop positions to Ukraine as “ridiculous” and the result of a possible smear campaign.
Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has in recent days sharpened his rhetoric against the Russian Defense Ministry by publishing scathing videos about Moscow’s generals.
Wagner fighters have led Moscow’s battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, and Prigozhin’s influence has skyrocketed since Moscow’s offensive.
The Washington Post published a story on Sunday based on unverified US intelligence leaks about Prigozhin interacting with Ukrainian intelligence in January.
According to US documents, the paper said, Prigozhin had offered Kiev information about the positions of the Russian army in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from areas near Bakhmut.
AFP was unable to verify the information reported by the Washington Post.
Prigozhin laughed off the report in an audio message on Telegram.
‘Reading this is of course nice. It means that I am not only fighting for Russia, but Zelensky is also carrying out my orders,” Prigozhin said.
Prigozhin has repeatedly threatened to withdraw Wagner from Bakhmut unless Russian forces send ammunition. He said his troops received only 10% of the shells they needed
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner’s private mercenary army, rages over recent losses of Russian soldiers in Bakhmut
The head of the mercenaries belongs to the Russian military leadership as reports continue to emerge of Russian troops leaving their front lines
Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce fighting is taking place against Russian troops, in Donetsk region, May 3, 2023
“This is laughable.”
He said that “people from Rublevka” – a luxurious suburb of Moscow where the Russian elite live – could be behind the allegations.
“Of course they’ll pour as much shit on me as they can,” he said.
The giant explosion is believed to take out all but three of Putin’s men in the unknown location
Smoke rises after an explosion that fires a missile at the escaping troops that appear to incapacitate all but three of them
Last week, Prigozhin accused Moscow’s conventional army of “fleeing” positions around Bakhmut.
He has repeatedly claimed that the Russian Defense Ministry refused to supply ammunition to his soldiers.