The leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner said on Thursday that his troops had begun to transfer their positions in the flash point of eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut to the Russian army. Prigozhin said that around 10,000 Russian prisoners he had recruited to fight in Ukraine had been killed on the battlefield.
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said on Thursday his troops had started transferring their positions in the flash point eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut to the Russian military.
He was shown speaking to several members of Wagner, who told him their military hardware had to be repaired.
Prigozhin said some Wagner forces could remain if regular Russian troops encountered difficulties.
Wagner’s forces have been leading the all-out, months-long assault for Bakhmut.
Wagner and the Russian army said that Bakhmut had fallen over the weekend, but Ukraine has said its troops continue to fight for the devastated city.
The Kremlin said meanwhile that China’s special envoy for Ukraine would be visiting Russia on Friday as part of a tour of European capitals, including Kyiv.
The battle for Bakhmut has raged for nearly one year, leveling the city and decimating waves of Wagner recruits who have led Russia’s assault on the industrial hub.
Earlier this week,Prigozhin conceded that around 10,000 prisoners he had recruited to fight in Ukraine had been killed on the battlefield.
Last year, Prigozhin toured Russian prisons to convince inmates to fight with Wagner in Ukraine in exchange for a promised amnesty upon their return should they survive.
Convicts are believed to have been used as cannon fodder in Ukraine, accounting for most of Wagner’s losses in the pro-Western country.
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
