The owner of Russian private military company Wagner accused Russia's defense minister and chief of the general staff on Tuesday of running out of ammunition to his fighters in Ukraine, which he said amounted to an attempt to "destroy" the force.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in an emotional statement that "direct resistance" by the Russian military "is nothing more than an attempt to destroy Wagner," the AP reported.
The emotional statements by Prigozhin and his fighters highlighted long-standing tensions between the Russian military and Wagner, which has unclear legal status because Russian law prohibits private military companies.
Prigozhin said in a raised voice that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov were issuing orders "left and right" not to supply Wagner with ammunition and airlift. The group has been involved in heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine.
This "can be compared to high treason at the very moment when Wagner is fighting for Bakhmut, losing hundreds of his fighters every day," Prigozhin said.
In a statement, Russia's Defense Ministry denied "statements" that the munitions were withheld and said priority was given to ensuring those groups were well equipped.
Prigozhin and his fighters have claimed for weeks that the army is not providing them with enough ammunition. Wagner's bid to take control of Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine's partially occupied eastern Donetsk region, has stalled and turned into a pitched battle.
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Prigozhin has also repeatedly accused Russia's military in recent months of incompetence.
His criticisms, however, seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Last month, Putin reaffirmed his faith in Gerasimov by putting him in direct charge of Russian forces in Ukraine, a move that some observers also interpreted as an attempt to depose Prigozhin.
In his much-anticipated State of the Nation address on Tuesday, Putin gave many thanks to his military, but he did not mention Wagner.
