The founder of the Russian PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that his mercenaries would seem to leave their positions in the city of Bakhmut on May 10 and hand them over to units of the Russian Defense Ministry. He said this in an address on Friday, May 5.
“I am officially addressing the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of Defense, the Supreme Commander and the people of Russia. I declare on behalf of the fighters of PMC Wagner, on behalf of the command of PMC Wagner, on May 10, 2023, we are forced to transfer positions in the village of Bakhmut to units of the Ministry of Defense and withdraw the remnants of PMCs to rear camps in order to lick their wounds,” he said.
According to Prigozhin, he made this decision allegedly because of the shortage of shells among the “Wagnerites”.
“I am withdrawing Wagner PMC units from Bakhmut, because in the absence of ammunition they are doomed to a senseless death,” he added.
