📢 Statement

Wagner chief Evgeny Prigozhin announced Wagner Group would withdraw from Bakhmut due to ammunition shortages and accused regular Russian army units (specifically the 72nd Brigade) of retreating and exposing Wagner's flank, costing 500 men.

Bakhmut, Donetsk
Verified Independently confirmed by 5 sources
Stefan Korshak (Substack) Ukrainska Pravda Kyiv Independent Kyiv Post Censor.NET

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Wagner chief Evgeny Prigozhin announced Wagner Group would withdraw from Bakhmut due to ammunition shortages and accused regular Russian army units (specifically the 72nd Brigade) of retreating and exposing Wagner's flank, costing 500 men.

The Russian army left part of their positions in Bakhmut and 'exposed' part of the front

The 72nd Brigade lost 3 square kilometers on May 9, causing approximately 500 Wagner fighters to be lost

Wagner mercenaries again threatened to leave Bakhmut due to lack of ammunition.

Wagner mercenaries stated they have not received ammunition despite requests.

Prigozhin claimed a Russian Armed Forces unit fled from a strategic bridgehead in Bakhmut area where about 500 Wagner PMC mercenaries were killed

According to British intelligence, water shortages are becoming an increasingly critical problem for the Russian occupiers in the temporarily uncontrolled Donetsk.

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Extraction metadata

Extracted: 2026-07-18T16:57:31.328Z

Source story: day-440a-2023-05-10