Tensions have escalated between the Wagner Group and the Russian army, as disagreements over recent occasions in Ukraine’s Donbas region intensify. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, dismissed Russia’s claims of inflicting significant losses on Ukraine throughout an attempted offensive motion, labelling them as “wild and absurd science fiction.” Despite this, Russia’s defence ministry reiterated on Tuesday that Ukraine had suffered over three,seven-hundred casualties during the conflict.
According to Russia, the assault was a part of a “long-promised offensive” by Ukraine within the Donetsk region, which occurred over the weekend. However, Ukraine’s army acknowledged on Monday that it had no information about a major attack within the area and refused to touch upon what it known as “fake” claims. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu insisted that his forces had caused over three,715 casualties to Ukraine and destroyed numerous navy gear pieces in the course of the attack. He praised the “courage and heroism” of Russian troops, acknowledging that 71 had died within the fighting.
Prigozhin rapidly criticised the defence ministry’s claims on Monday evening, arguing that the alleged success would equate to a “massacre.” He wrote on Telegram, “Therefore, I suppose that these are just a few wild fantasies.” Prigozhin additionally accused Russian forces of “slowly” retreating from the village of Berkhivka, close to Bakhmut, labelling it a “disgrace.” Moscow dismissed Prigozhin’s allegations on Tuesday, stating they “did not correspond to reality” and asserting that the suburb remained under Moscow’s management.
Officials in Kyiv have acknowledged the shift to “offensive actions” in some components of the country. On Tuesday, a US official informed CBS News that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is in its preliminary phases, but the main thrust has yet to start. Kyiv’s Money confirmed on Monday that some offensive operations had began across the japanese metropolis of Bakhmut, which she referred to as the “epicentre of hostilities.”
In a video address late on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Ukrainian fighters for delivering “the news we are expecting” within the Bakhmut region. The metropolis has been at the centre of intense preventing for months, holding symbolic significance for both Kyiv and Moscow..