Russian military contractor threatens to pull out of Bakhmut, Ukraine

The head of Russia’s Wagner military contractor released a video Friday saying Russia has not supplied his group with enough ammunition. Yevgeny Prigozhin said the group will pull out of Bakhmut by May 10 if nothing changes to avoid more “useless and unjustified losses.” The Wagner group had originally said it would capture Bakhmut by May 9. Troops have been battling over the city in eastern Ukraine for more than eight months. If Russia captures Bakhmut, it could allow Russia to threaten two other urban areas, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said. 

What is the Wagner group? Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons looking for fighters, the United Nations said. It also accused the group of working in the Central African Republic. The group has committed a myriad of human rights abuses there, the UN said, including arbitrary detention and torture. 

Dig deeper: Read Evgeny Kosykh’s report in WORLD Magazine on the Wagner Group.