Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has shared an image of dozens of fighters who have been killed, blaming the Russian Ministry of Defence of deliberately depriving them of ammunition.
Mr Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private military company which is fighting on Moscow’s behalf in Ukraine, has repeatedly blamed the ministry for “shell hunger”, calling it a treasonous attempt to destroy the company.
The ministry said such allegations were “completely untrue” in a statement on Tuesday, complaining – without mentioning Mr Prigozhin by name – about attempts to create divisions that worked “solely to the benefit of the enemy”.
Despite this, on Wednesday, Mr Prigozhin doubled down on his allegations, releasing a picture of dozens of dead soldiers laying on the icy ground in eastern Ukraine, where Wagner is battling to try to take the small Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
“This is one of the places where the bodies of those who have died are gathered,” he told a prominent Russian military blogger in an interview.
He said that there should be five times less dead, and that the mothers, wives and children of the individuals will get the bodies of their relatives back.
“Who is guilty that they died? The guilty ones are those who should have resolved the question of us getting enough ammo,” he added.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Taking the dispute one step further, Mr Prigozhin released an official statement sent by Wagner to the defence ministry requesting ammunition.
It contained detailed tallies of shells used, requested and received – though he said he had blanked out sensitive data such as the names of the shells.
“No steps to give us ammo have been taken,” he said, accusing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu – a close ally of President Vladimir Putin – and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, of withholding their signatures from shell approval forms.
In an attempt to secure the shells, Mr Prigozhin said he had launched a social media campaign and that Wagner had been reduced to begging military warehouses for ammunition, which he added was sometimes successful.
Read more:
Ukraine war latest: Joe Biden warns freedom is at stake during meeting with NATO leaders
Crowds chant as Vladimir Putin issues rallying cry ahead of invasion anniversary
Ukrainian amputee soldiers vow to return to battlefield
A wealthy catering tycoon and ex-convict, Mr Prigozhin has taken on a more public role since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started.
But in recent weeks he has faced push back from the authorities, amid some signs of a move by the Kremlin and defence ministry to curb his growing influence.
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
Despite the ammunition shortage, he said his fighters would keep trying to overrun Ukraine’s Bakhmut.
“Twice as many of us are going to die that’s all, until there are none of us left,” he said.
The image released by Mr Prigozhin comes as Mr Putin addressed some 200,000 at a rally in Moscow on Wednesday afternoon.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
He said Russia is “proud of those who are fighting in Ukraine to defend the fatherland”, adding that the “whole country” supports them.
