Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, which currently supplies mercenaries for the Russian military against its Ukrainian counterpart, has shown public betrayal to the Kremlin by posting gruesome photos of the corpses of the group's soldiers.
On Wednesday, the so-called "Putin's Chef" posted images of the deceased soldiers on a pro-war Telegram Channel. He questioned who was to blame for the horrific scene and who should be responsible for resolving the issue of supplying the Wagner Group with sufficient quantities of ammunition.
Wagner Group Founder's Betrayal
Prigozhin singled out Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. A day before the post, the Wagner founder accused both Russian officials of trying to "destroy" the group by purposely blocking their ammunition supply.
He supported his claims using the gruesome image that showed rows of bloody and maimed bodies that he said were from fighters of the Wagner Group who died fighting to support Russia's war on Ukraine.
Prigozhin added that the Russian officials took no further action to issue ammunition to the Wagner Group's soldiers. He claimed that the dead fighters in the image lost their lives due to "ammunition hunger," as per The Daily Beast.
Putin's chef added that the group was like a beggar crowdfunding, asking unit commanders to assist somehow. He noted that they would maintain their position in Bakhmut and argued that Shoigu and Gerasimov would have to take up arms themselves when they all lost their lives.
While Prigozhin has previously criticized Russia's top military personnel, his discontent has quickly spread throughout the pro-war military bloggers that the Kremlin has continued to rely on to increase public support for its invasion of Ukraine.
Now, the Wagner Group founder's threats seek to overshadow what Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to mask as "everything is going according to plan" efforts despite rising losses in the offensive.
Stalled Offensives
On the other hand, Russia's Ministry of Defense denied Prigozhin's allegations, claiming that ammunition had been held up for volunteers in "assault detachments" fighting around Bakhmut. Officials added that their priority was ensuring those groups were well-equipped for the war, according to the Associated Press.
The ministry concluded its statement by saying that any attempt to create a division between subdivisions of the Russian forces is counterproductive and would only work to benefit the enemy, in this case, Ukraine.
For weeks, the Wagner Group founder and his soldiers claimed they lacked sufficient ammunition to take over Bakhmut. The city is located in Ukraine's partially occupied eastern Donetsk region. The fight for the area has primarily stalled and has become a battle of attrition.
Prigozhin also released a video where he could be emotional while saying that the Russian Ministry of Defense was trying to destroy his group. He likened the actions to high treason when his soldiers were fighting for their lives trying to claim Bakhmut for Russia amid the war that raged on for nearly a year, said Fox News.