Russia: The owner of the mercenary firm Wagner, Mr. Yevgeny Prigozhin, has charged Russia’s top military officials with high treason after stating they withheld crucial ammunition for the conflict in Ukraine and refused to provide air assistance.

The fight for the town of Bakhmut is being led by Mr. Prigozhin’s Wagner Group in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk area. “There is simply direct opposition going on [to attempts to equip Wagner fighters]. This can be equated to high treason,” Mr. Prigozhin stated in a voice message posted on his Telegram channel.

One of Mr. Sergey Shoigu’s fiercest detractors, Mr. Prigozhin maintains that his own soldiers are considerably more capable than the regular army. The battle in Ukraine is being led by Mr. Valery Gerasimov, the Russian chief of general staff, who was appointed last month. Mr. Prigozhin shouted in anger, accusing the military leadership of determining that “people should die when it’s convenient for them,” and said that the Wagner fighters were “falling like flies” due to a lack of supplies.

Senior officials also declined Wagner’s requests for special spades to dig trenches, Mr. Prigozhin added. Since the start of the battle in Ukraine a year ago, Mr. Prigozhin, a catering entrepreneur who leveraged his fortune to create a private army, has taken on a more visible role.

owner has taken great pleasure in receiving Western condemnation, publicly criticised Russia’s top military leaders, attempted to use the military victory to gain political sway, and revealed his use of prisoners as recruits for Wagner’s ranks.

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