Russian forces tried to blow up my men, says mercenary boss Prigozhin

MOSCOW – Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been arguing with top military brass for months, on Friday escalated the feud by accusing pro-Moscow forces of trying to blow up his men.

His Wagner Group troops have largely pulled back from the eastern Ukrainian town of

Bakhmut, most of which they captured last month after taking heavy casualties,

and handed over their positions to regular Russian forces.

Mr Prigozhin, writing on Telegram, said his men discovered a dozen locations in rear areas where defence ministry officials planted explosive devices, including hundreds of anti-tank mines. When asked why the charges had been set, the officials indicated it was an order from their superiors.

“It was not necessary to plant these charges in order to deter the enemy, as it (the area in question) is in the rear area. Therefore, we can assume that these charges were intended to meet the advancing units of Wagner,” he said.

None of the charges went off and no one was hurt, he added, noting: “We assume this was an attempt at a public flogging.”

Mr Prigozhin, who regularly complained his men were not given enough ammunition for the assault on Bakhmut, said on Wednesday that he asked prosecutors to investigate whether senior Russian defence officials committed any “crime” before or during the war in Ukraine. REUTERS