Wagner Group to Withdraw Troops from Bakhmut Amid Intensifying Fighting in Southern Ukraine

The head of the Russian mercenary group leading the offensive in eastern Ukraine, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced that his forces will withdraw from the battle for Bakhmut due to a lack of military support. Prigozhin blamed defense chiefs for the heavy losses suffered by his Wagner Group fighters and accused them of ignoring his requests for more ammunition and other means of support. The city has taken on a symbolic value that may outweigh its strategic importance, though Prigozhin has long accused Russian military leaders of ignoring his requests for more ammunition and other means of support.