Ukraine’s claim of gains in the battle for the ruined eastern city of Bakhmut is playing out against a backdrop of increasingly caustic missives against the Russian military leadership from Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner militia whose forces have been at the forefront of Russia’s fight for the city.
In recent days, Mr. Prigozhin has recorded graphic and expletive-laden videos accusing Russia’s senior generals of denying his forces necessary supplies, such as ammunition. On Tuesday, he appeared to take his attacks even further, publishing a video that some observers interpreted as a direct criticism of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Ukrainian weapons “kill our soldiers, while a happy grandpa thinks that everything is going well for him,” Mr. Prigozhin said in the video. Mr. Putin’s opponents commonly refer to him as “grandfather.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Prigozhin said that “grandpa” referred to a senior Russian military official whose name he did not specify. Mr. Prigozhin, a tycoon who earned his fortune in part through Kremlin catering contracts, has been careful to avoid direct criticism of Mr. Putin.
The 11-month battle for Bakhmut has taken on a symbolic significance for both sides that goes far beyond the city’s immediate strategic value. Russia and Ukraine have poured in troops and sustained high numbers of casualties, though military experts say that casualties have been higher for Russia’s forces than for Ukraine’s.
Last week, Mr. Prigozhin threatened to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut because of insufficient ammunition, releasing a video that showed him walking among bodies that he claimed were Wagner fighters killed in the battle for the city and blaming top Russian defense officials by name for their deaths. He later walked back that threat, saying that he had been promised more ammunition, but in the video released on Tuesday he repeated his complaints about the lack of supplies.
He warned that Ukrainian forces were mustering forces for an anticipated counteroffensive and that they were doing their utmost to make the Russian front crumble, though he claims that Wagner fighters continue to make grinding progress in the city of Bakhmut itself.
“Today they are tearing the flanks in the Artemovsk direction,” he said, using the Russian name for Bakhmut. “They are regrouping in Zaporizhzhia, and in the near future a counteroffensive will begin.” Zaporizhzhia is one of two regions of southern Ukraine that Russian forces have partly occupied since launching their full-scale invasion last year.
Despite his dispute over ammunition supplies, Mr. Prigozhin said that his forces would continue fighting in Bakhmut for now. “We’ll keep pushing for a few more days,” he said. “Let’s fight.”
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