The head of the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, offered Ukraine information about the location of Russian troops to attack them in exchange for Ukraine withdrawing its troops from around the town of Bakhmut. of US intelligence services, published by The Washington Post.
What’s going on in the war in Ukraine: Kiev strikes back at Bakhmut and downplays expectations about its counteroffensive
According to these leaked documents on the Discord platform, it was in late January that Prigozhin proposed to his contacts in the Ukrainian military intelligence directorate that the group of mercenaries were suffering in the besieged Ukrainian city in the wake of the many casualties. ,
According to this leak, it was not the first time that Prigozhin had maintained “secret communications” with Ukrainian military intelligence during the war. Wagner’s own boss has acknowledged contact with Kiev, but has not commented publicly on such an offer.
The leaked documents do not clarify which Russian military positions he offered to disclose, according to the Post, citing a Ukrainian official who said it was not the first such offer and that on previous occasions, Ukraine was rejected out of fear. Being false and causing a lack of confidence generated by Wagner’s boss.
Prigozhin vowed to take control of the city of Bakhmut by May 9, Russia’s Victory Day against the Nazis, but in recent days he has also threatened to withdraw his forces from the city.
Prigozhin has on several occasions bemoaned his group’s lack of weapons and equipment, and last Friday he once again accused the Russian Defense Ministry of lying in its combat reports. That day they denounced that Ukrainian troops approached 500 meters northwest of Bakhmut due to the flight of Russian regular troops that protected that flank.
According to one of the documents revealed by the Post, Prigozhin was aware of the decline in morale of Wagner’s forces and even some of the fighters opposed being stationed at Bakhmut for fear of more casualties.
