Russian Troops Accused of Fleeing Bakhmut by Wagner Group Leader

The leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused the Russian army of abandoning its soldiers and leaving them at risk by fleeing the site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the war near Bakhmut, Ukraine. Prigozhin pleaded with the Russian Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff not to abandon his mercenary group's flanks. The Russian defense ministry has acknowledged some withdrawals from positions near Bakhmut over the past week but denies Prigozhin's assertions that the flanks are crumbling. Wagner troops have long led the assault on the eastern Ukrainian city, claiming they have taken most of the city, which Ukraine rejects.