Leader says Ukraine could push Russia out

The head of Russia’s mercenary army said he could envision Ukraine’s upcoming offensive pushing Moscow’s troops out of occupied territory – including Crimea – and warned of harsh days ahead if his fellow citizens don’t wake up to the war’s realities.

Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russia should be under no illusion it can simply outlast Western support for Ukraine, whose military has become a powerful force because of weapons supplied by its U. S.- led allies.

Addressing Ukraine’s much- anticipated counteroffensive in an interview posted online late Tuesday, Prigozhin said: “A pessimistic scenario: the Ukrainians are given missiles, they prepare troops, of course they will continue their offensive, try to counterattack. They will attack Crimea, they will try to blow up the Crimean bridge, cut off ( our) supply lines. Therefore, we need to prepare for a hard war.”

Prigozhin said his private army lost more than 20,000 men in the monthslong battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut, where he claimed victory over the weekend even though Ukraine says it has gained ground on the outskirts.

Known for his bluster and sometimes outlandish statements, Prigozhin also said Russia could be looking at turmoil similar to the 1917 revolution if regular families continue to have their sons killed in battle while the elites remain unaffected.

“First the soldiers will stand up, and after that their loved ones will rise up,” he said. “There are already tens of thousands of them, relatives of those killed. And there will probably be hundreds of thousands – we cannot avoid that.” Developments:

● A group of Russians who say they oppose the Ukraine invasion have claimed responsibility for an attack within Russian territory in the Belgorod region, The New York Times reported. The “Free Russia Legion” said it began attacking Monday with drones and vehicles, The Times reported.

● A U. S. aircraft carrier arrived Wednesday in Oslo to prepare for joint exercises with the Norwegian military. Norway shares a 123- mile- long border with Russia, which objected to the exercises. The nuclear- powered USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is making its first foreign port visit after launching in 2017. Prompted in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, neighboring Finland joined NATO in April.

● Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin met with his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, in Beijing to sign agreements for energy exports and other trade deals. Though Western sanctions have cut Russia off from most markets, it continues doing business with China.

● Japan held a ceremony on Wednesday marking a planned donation of about 100 military vehicles and 30,000 food rations to Ukraine. Japan’s government is seeking to ease its military equipment transfer policy under a new national security policy that allows its military a greater offensive role, a significant break from its post- World War II self- defense- only principle.

LIBKOS/ AP A Ukrainian soldier is seen in a trench at the front line near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Monday.