Moscow

Days after threatening to pull out from the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has said that they will be receiving more ammunition.

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In a new audio message posted on Telegram on Sunday, Yevgeny Prigozhin hinted at the possibility of backtracking his ultimatum after assurances from the Russian government.

"The bottom line is the following: they promise to give us ammunition and weapons, as much as we need to continue further actions. They swear to us that everything that is necessary will be on the flank so the enemy сan't cut us off. We are told that we can act in Bakhmut as we see fit," Prigozhin said, according to CNN.

He said they had been assured "that everything necessary will be provided" to fighters around Bakhmut.

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The Russian Ministry of Defence is yet to respond to Prigozhin’s latest claim.

This latest development follows his blistering attack on military chiefs over the situation in Bakhmut, the epicentre of Ukraine's fight against Moscow's forces.

He said that his troops would be leaving the city by May 10 because of heavy casualties and inadequate supplies.

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Wagner chief asks Moscow to let him hand over Bakhmut positions to Chechen leader

He even accused the top military brass of treason, claiming their reluctance to send more ammunition, saying that because of lack of support, their forces were “facing a senseless death”.

Prigozhin’s Wagner Group has been spearheading Russia’s months-long attack on Bakhmut, with some reports even suggesting that their troops had gained control of most parts of the city, a claim fiercely contested by Ukraine.

Though Prigozhin has made similar threats to pull out in the past, Friday’s video statement and the scathing personal criticism of the leaders of Russia’s campaign in Ukraine were unprecedented.

Officials from the West claimed that thousands of Russian and Wagner troops have been killed in the fighting, and the eastern Ukrainian city has become a symbolic prize.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov have often been the focus of his anger, amid reports of infighting among different power groups in Vladimir Putin's entourage.

Panic in Russian-held towns

Meanwhile, mad panic gripped Russian-held cities in Ukraine bordering the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant anticipating Kyiv's fresh offensive.

The Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said there was a waiting time of five hours as thousands of cars left, reports BBC.

The UN's nuclear watchdog warned a "severe nuclear accident" could occur.

The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant was "becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous".

(With inputs from agencies)

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