Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner forces, continued a month-long war of words with the leadership of Russia's armed forces, accusing pro-Moscow forces of planting explosives to harm their fighters as they retreat from Bahmut.
Prigozhin made his demands on Friday after Wagner's mercenaries had largely withdrawn from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after months of bloody fighting and heavy losses. He said that the Wagner stations in the destroyed city had been handed over to the Russian army. In a telegram, Prigozhin wrote that his men had found about a dozen locations in the rear where Russian Defense Ministry officials had placed various explosives, including hundreds of anti-tank mines.
When asked why the mines were planted and the explosives were placed, the officials of the Ministry of Defense replied that it was the order of their superiors, Prigozhin said. "There was no need to put these stakes to scare the enemy because it (the area under observation) is in the rear," he said.
"Therefore, we can assume that these interests were intended to meet Wagner's advancing units," Prigozhin said. No crime scene exploded and no one was injured, he added.
"We believe it was an attempt at public whipping."
The Russian Defense Ministry was not immediately available for comment. Prigozhin complained for months that the Russian high command did not provide his men with enough ammunition for the Bahmut attack and claimed that his fighters were discriminated against.
Wagner's boss' often sharp criticism of Russia's military leadership has been criticized by another pro-Moscow commander who fought in Ukraine - in what could be a sign of a split in the Kremlin-allied forces in the war. In a video message on Thursday, Adam Delimhanov, a close ally of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, referred to Prigozhin by the diminutive "Zhenya" and the familiar Russian form "ty," using the Wagner boss as a blogger who shouts all the time. You have become a blogger who shouts and shouts to the whole world about all the problems,” said Delimhanov. "Stop yelling and yelling and yelling," he said.
"If you don't understand, you can contact us and tell us the place and the time, I will explain to you what you don't understand", said Delimhanov in a message to Prigozhin. The post was then quickly rebuked by one of Wagner's top fighters, Dmitry Utkin, a former special forces officer who served in Russian military intelligence.
"Where does such familiarity come from: who gave you the right to use the addresses "ty" and "Zhenya"?" Utkin said in a message that Prigozhin reposted in Telegram. "Certain citizens should be put against the wall because of our HOTON," Utkin said.
"We are always willing to talk to men," he said. Chechen leader Kadyrov last year backed Prigozhin's criticism of Russia's top brass, but their relationship has drifted apart in recent months.
Kadyrov is also a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has recently refrained from repeating criticism of the Defense Ministry.
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Prigozhin made his demands on Friday after Wagner's mercenaries had largely withdrawn from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after months of bloody fighting and heavy losses. He said that the Wagner stations in the destroyed city had been handed over to the Russian army. In a telegram, Prigozhin wrote that his men had found about a dozen locations in the rear where Russian Defense Ministry officials had placed various explosives, including hundreds of anti-tank mines. 
"Therefore, we can assume that these interests were intended to meet Wagner's advancing units," Prigozhin said. No crime scene exploded and no one was injured, he added. 
"If you don't understand, you can contact us and tell us the place and the time, I will explain to you what you don't understand", said Delimhanov in a message to Prigozhin. The post was then quickly rebuked by one of Wagner's top fighters, Dmitry Utkin, a former special forces officer who served in Russian military intelligence. 
"We are always willing to talk to men," he said. Chechen leader Kadyrov last year backed Prigozhin's criticism of Russia's top brass, but their relationship has drifted apart in recent months. 
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