The leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said he would pull his forces from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine if Russia’s military command doesn’t provide more ammunition – the latest sign of tension between the mercenary operation and Russia’s defense ministry.
(Bloomberg) — The leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said he would pull his forces from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine if Russia’s military command doesn’t provide more ammunition – the latest sign of tension between the mercenary operation and Russia’s defense ministry.
A massive fire took several hours to extinguished at a fuel depot in Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula after it was hit by suspected drones. Social media images earlier showed black smoke billowing high into the sky. Local, Kremlin-installed officials accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack.
Ukraine’s defense chief said final preparations are underway for a counteroffensive to dislodge Russian forces from parts of Ukraine’s southeast. The comments followed a fresh wave of aerial assaults across Ukraine that killed at least 25 people — including six children.
Key Developments
- Russia Strikes Across Ukraine as Kyiv Says New Offensive Nears
- Bank of Russia Sees Economy Growing as Sanctions Shock Fades
- Russian Oil Still Powering Europe’s Cars With Help of India
- EU Allows Some Eastern Members to Ban Ukraine Grain
- Russia Seeks to Reduce Fuel Subsidy for Refiners by $4.5 Billion
(All times CET)
Wagner’s Prigozhin Says Ammunition Shortage May Cause Pullback (8:30 a.m.)
Yevgeny Prigozhin told a Russian military blogger that he may be forced to pull his mercenary forces out of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine if Russia’s military command fails to provide more ammunition.
The Wagner Group founder said the company’s troops will need to “withdraw in an organized manner or stay and die” if the situation doesn’t immediately improve. Wagner is receiving a fraction of the ammunition it needs, he said.
“Prigozhin is likely attempting to regain access to more ammunition as Putin is once again reshuffling the Russian military leadership in a way that may favor” the Wagner operation, the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, said in an update.
Russia Remains Focused on Lyman, Bakhmut Axes (8 a.m.)
The likelihood of further missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains quite high, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Facebook Sunday after a wave of aerial strikes on Friday killed at least 25 people. Russia continues to focus its main efforts on the offensive operations on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Mariyinka axes, General Staff reported. On April 29, the Ukrainian Air Force launched three air strikes on Russian positions, it added.
Six Kids Among 23 Killed by Russian Strike on Uman, Zelenskiy Says (8 a.m.)
Six children were among the 23 people killed in Friday’s Russian strike on the central Ukrainian city of Uman, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
The Russian cruise missile largely leveled a high-rise apartment block in the city, south of Kyiv. Search and rescue operations were completed on Saturday.
Russia is Likely Using ‘Zindans’ to Punish Misbehaving Troops, UK Says (7 a.m.)
Russian commanders have likely started punishing breaches in discipline by detaining offending troops in “Zindans,” or improvised cells consisting of holes in the ground covered with a metal grille, the UK defense ministry said.
“Multiple recent reports from Russian personnel give similar accounts of being placed in Zindans for misdemeanors including drunkenness and attempting to terminate their contracts,” the ministry said in a Twitter update.
The move was said to be part of a crackdown after a “relatively light touch” by Russian commanders in enforcing disciple earlier in the now 14-month-old war.
Medvedev Suggests Ending Diplomatic Relations With Poland (5 p.m.)
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s nation’s security council, said on Twitter that he sees no sense in maintaining diplomatic relations with Poland while what he termed as “Russophobes” remain in power.
A former president and prime minister, Medvedev is known for provocative comments against the US and its allies on social media and elsewhere.
Russia’s foreign ministry earlier on Saturday condemned what it called the “seizure” in Warsaw of a school attached to the Russian embassy, saying it violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. A “harsh reaction” will follow, with consequences for the Polish authorities and Warsaw’s interests in Russia, the ministry said in a statement.
Zelenskiy Meets with Private Equity Investors (3 p.m.)
Ukraine’s president met Friday with Lenna Koszarny, CEO of the private equity firm Horizon Capital, along with investors from eight countries, including the US and Germany, and representatives of international development organizations.
Horizon has raised $254 million to invest in Ukrainian companies, according to an emailed statement from the president’s office. Zelenskiy praised the “trust” the firm had shown in the war-torn nation. “It very important to believe in our joint victory,” he said.
Koszarny said that first investment will be done in 30 days as Ukrainian businesses urgently need capital, according to the statement.
EU Considers More Ammunition-Spending Leeway in New Fiscal Rules (12:50 p.m.)
The EU is considering giving more time to member states to balance their budgets if they invest in ramping up ammunition production, a priority following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Military spending, including on bullets and shells, would be viewed as supporting one of the key strategic goals of the bloc and would extend the time national governments have to adjust their public accounts to as much as seven years, according to EU officials.
The idea is part of the review of the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact, the rules controlling public spending, and would come in addition to the European Commission’s plans to bolster the defense industry due next week.
Read more: EU Considers More Ammunition-Spending Leeway in New Fiscal Rules
EU May Buy Ukrainian Grain to Ease Border Glut (11:20 a.m.)
The European Union is considering buying Ukrainian grain stuck in bordering countries to ease a glut that’s raised tensions within the bloc, according to an European Commission official.
The EU on Friday reached a deal with Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania that will replace those countries’ ban on Ukrainian products with temporary restrictions. The Eastern European nations claimed excess grain piling up in their warehouses hurt local farmers by pushing down prices.
A direct grain purchase, which would be a first for the EU, could be expensive and needs to be carefully discussed within the commission, said the official, who declined to be identified because discussions are private and ongoing.
Read more: EU Allows Some Eastern Members to Ban Ukraine Grain Imports
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.