Vast swathes of land seized by Russian forces since the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion have now been retaken by Ukraine, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted.
In a furious rant shared by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Minister, Prigozhin savages Russia’s military commanders, accusing them of “deceiving the Russian people.”
Prigozhin has become increasingly vocal in recent months about the direction in which the war is taking, while carefully avoiding direct criticism of Putin himself.
Speaking days after Kyiv launched its eagerly awaited counteroffensive, the 62-year-old said: “I can say what is happening with us on the line of contact.
“Pyatykhatky is under the enemy, the northern part of Robotyne is under the enemy, the Urozhaine is enemy, and that shows that huge parts were given to the enemy.
READ MORE: Power-mad Putin claims ‘superheavy’ Satan nukes are almost ready
“Then over Tokmak, in Sadove village there is the enemy, and pray to God it’s some solitary group of 50-100 people.
“But there isn’t any kind of control, no weapons, no ammunition, the soldiers spent while days writing letters that they need ammunition, they need shells, anti-tank means. They need grenades, and armour-piercing cartridges.”
In an extraordinarily candid assessment, Prigozhin also suggested propaganda was crowding out reality, suggesting the world “has once again divided into two realities” with “all information shut down”.
Referring to a strategically important estuary of the Sea of Azov, he continued: “If he reaches Molochnyi Lyman then the majority of the territories seized during the so-called ‘special military operation’ will be returned to the enemy.
“The enemy is starting to force through the Dnipro river. In Hola Preston there are already saboteur-reconnaissance groups appearing first, and – starting today – regular troops as well.
“And all this is completely hidden from everyone.”
Prigozhin warned: “Russia will wake up one day to find out that Crimea has already been passed to the Ukrainians.
“Direct treachery of the interests of the Russian Federation is in progress.
“And all of this goes on with losses in the background. The troops need to be replenished.
“A soldier cannot fight alone, he cannot fight when a unit lacks 50-60 percent of its people.
“He cannot keep a point alone where two or three people should stand.”
Prigozhin, a relentless critic of Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, continued: “All these numbers are thoroughly hidden. All the leaders of the special operation do these days is shuffling the facts to send pretty reports to Moscow.
“And it’s okay that they’ve already gotten use to deceiving the commander-in-chief, they are deceiving Russian people.
“And if this continues, we will be left without the most important – without Russia.”
Commenting on the clip, which was shared by Prigozhin via Telegram, Mr Gerashchenko commented: “He is talking about the situation on the frontlines in panic.”
In a Defence HQ update tweeted on Monday, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said: Prigozhin’s tone towards the [Russian] MoD has become unambiguously confrontational.
“The MoD almost certainly sees this as deeply unfortunate at a time when it is grappling with Ukraine’s counter-offensive.”
Speaking to Express.co.uk earlier this month, journalist and author Owen Matthews described Prigozhin’s feud with Shoigu as “hair-raising crazy s***.”
He added: “It’s incredible in a country which literally puts people in jail for Facebook posts, that you have a man with a private army, who’s regularly, publicly, bitterly, criticising the way the war’s being fought.
“The fact that Prigozhin even still walks the earth is extraordinary to me.
“The least surprising piece of news in the world would be Yevgeny Prigozhin getting murdered.”
