Wagner group to stay in Bakhmut after ammunition promise given

The head of the Wagner mercenary group has said Russia promised enough ammunition for it to continue the fight to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

On Friday, Yevgeny Prigozhin had said his units would pull out on Wednesday because they had no ammunition.

For months, Mr Prigozhin has accused the Russian Army of refusing to deliver ammunition to his men during the battle for the city, where Wagner is leading the assault.

“Overnight, we received a combat order … they promised to give us all the ammunition and armaments we need to continue the operations” in Bakhmut, Mr Prigozhin said on Sunday.

He said his group has been promised that “everything necessary will be provided”.

In a series of expletive-filled videos on Friday, he blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov for “tens of thousands” of Russian casualties.

“Their unprofessionalism is destroying tens of thousands of Russian guys and that is unforgivable,” said Mr Prigozhin.

Russian forces have been attempting to take the city since last summer.

Meanwhile, Ukraine reported four casualties yesterday from Russian overnight air strikes on Kyiv. In the southern port of Odesa, a strike hit a warehouse.

This comes as Russia has reported increasing drone strikes and sabotage inside its territory, ahead of an expected counter-offensive by Ukraine.

On Sunday, the Russian Army said it had repelled 22 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea. Authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea said they downed more than 10 drones.

Russian security services also said they thwarted a drone attack on an airfield in Ivanovo region, western Russia.