Russian mercenary group Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has warned that the whole frontline is at the brink of collapsing if his soldiers are forced to retreat from Bakhmut amid “ammunition hunger”.
The mercenary group boss said that his forces fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Bakhmut are now being deprived of arms and ammunition to carry on in the battle.
"If Wagner retreats from Bakhmut now, the whole front will collapse," Yevgeny Prigozhin said over the weekend, speaking from a bunker-like space.
"The situation will not be sweet for all military formations protecting Russian interests," he warned.
This comes amid reports that Russian soldiers are likely using “shovels” in hand-to-hand combat because of depleted stock.
The British defence ministry described how in late February Russian troops were ordered to attack a Ukrainian position armed just with “firearms and shovels”.
Russian troops have been facing a severe ammunition shortage, with Prigozhin blaming Russian deaths in Ukraine on the recent shortage.
