Wagner chief accuses Moscow of lying about Ukraine offensive gains

The chief of the Wagner mercenary group on Wednesday (June 21) accused Moscow's top brass of deceiving Russians about the course of Ukraine's offensive and pointed to Kyiv's progress on the battlefield.

Early this month Kyiv's military launched its counteroffensive in the east and south of the Western-backed country in an effort to claw back territory lost since last year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Ukraine's offensive is failing.

But Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose forces had for months led an assault for towns in eastern Ukraine including Bakhmut, accused the Defence Ministry of not telling the truth and losing territory to Ukrainian troops.

"They are lying to the [Russian] people," he said in an audio message released by his spokespeople.

"[Defence Minister Sergei] Shoigu and [Military Chief of Staff Gen. Valery] Gerasimov have a simple approach: the lie must be monstrously large, so that [Russians] will believe it. That's what they're doing," he said.

A number of villages including Pyatykhatky has been lost, Prigozhin said, pointing to a lack of arms and ammunition.

"Huge chunks have been handed over to the enemy," he said, adding that Ukrainian troops have already sought to cross the Dnipro River, a natural border on the frontline.

"All of this is being hidden from everyone," the 62-year-old said.

"One day Russia will wake up to discover that Crimea has been handed over to the Ukrainians," he said.

Kyiv has reported modest gains, retaking eight settlements in the first cautious steps of a fightback against entrenched Russian positions.

On Wednesday, Putin insisted again that Ukrainian troops had sustained "serious losses" and said that there was a "certain lull" on the front.

Ongoing feud

Tensions have been brewing between the Wagner Group and the regular Russian army, which the mercenary group has accused of betrayal.

The group spearheaded Moscow's advance on the east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and claimed to have captured the hotspot in late May -- but not before engaging in a public spat with the Kremlin.

Prigozhin also denounced the Defence Ministry for what he described as betrayals of the group's war effort in Bakhmut, accusing the Russian army of repeatedly and deliberately failing to supply it with enough artillery shells.

Instead of sending the promised "tens of thousands" of troops to reinforce the Wagner Group and cover its flanks, the army sent mere dozens, he added.

In a scathing May 4 video, Prigozhin also blamed Russian army chiefs for "tens of thousands" killed and wounded Russian fighters in Ukraine.

He said the massive losses "are on the conscience of those who did not give us ammunition, and that is Defence Minister [Sergei] Shoigu and Chief of General Staff [Valery] Gerasimov".

"For the tens of thousands killed and wounded, they will bear responsibility in front of their mothers and children. I will achieve that," he said.

In remarks released at the same time as Putin's May 9 Victory Day speech, Prigozhin accused Russian forces of abandoning their positions near Bakhmut.

"They all fled, exposing the front," he said, claiming soldiers were fleeing because of the "stupidity" of Russian army commanders, who he said were giving "criminal orders".

"Soldiers should not die because of the absolute stupidity of their leadership."