- Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announced in a video on Telegram that his troops would be withdrawing from Bakhmut
- Russian soldiers will replace the mercenary group's units
- Prigozhin said that his troops will rebase to camps in the rear from May 25 until June 1
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announces the withdrawal of his troops from the contested city of Bakhmut, adding that Russian military soldiers will fill the missing ranks.
The mercenary group has started to move its troops out of the Ukrainian city following Prigozhin's announcement in a video on Telegram. He said that from May 25 to June 1, most of the Wagner troops would rebase to camps in the rear and would hand their positions to the Russian military.
Wagner Troops To Withdraw from Bakhmut
The group's leader on Saturday announced the capture of the Ukrainian city after what is considered the longest and bloodiest battle in the conflict. As per DW News, Prigozhin added that his fighters would completely move out by June 1 and that the Russian military would move in.
In a statement, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that Moscow was already replacing its Wagner private military units with regular soldiers. These exchanges were happening on the outskirts of Bakhmut but added that the group's fighters remained within the city's borders.
The Ukrainian military added that it was still in control of some areas on the outskirts of the devastated city. On top of the withdrawal, Prigozhin said on Wednesday that roughly 10,000 prisoners he recruited to fight in the war had been killed on the battlefield.
Prigozhin could be seen telling Wagner troops to leave ammunition behind for Russian soldiers to use. According to BBC, he also said that some of his troops would stay behind in the city to support Moscow's forces.
Russian Soldiers To Replace Mercenary Group
The development comes despite the Wagner chief repeatedly targeting top Russian military officials, publicly criticizing them for allegedly failing to support his troops properly. Last month, he threatened to withdraw all his forces in the city due to a lack of ammunition.
Even with the Wagner chief saying he is handing the region to the Russian military, Ukraine has not conceded that Bakhmut has fallen. Maliar noted that Kyiv's forces still control part of the Litak district in the southwest of the city.
The situation comes as Russia decided to escalate tensions by signing a deal that helps it move forward with deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. President Alexander Lukashenko announced the agreement and claimed the weapons were already on their way to his country.
In response to the deal, the US State Department said that Washington had no intention of deviating from its stance on strategic nuclear weapons. It added that there was no evidence that Russia was preparing to use any nuclear weapon.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the move is the latest example of Russia's irresponsible behavior amid the invasion of Ukraine, said Reuters.