Kadyrov says his men stand ready to replace Wagner troops in Bakhmut

Read also: Supporter of Wagner mercenary company and Chechen warlord Kadyrov detained in Ivano-Frankivsk

Kadyrov’s message comes after the owner of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, recorded a grim, insult-laden message to the Russian Defense Ministry, complaining about acute shortages of ammunition. Kadyrov also criticized the ministry for not commenting on the matter.

The Chechen leader stated that if Wagner and Prigozhin do abandon Bakhmut, Russia’s General Staff will lose an experienced combat unit, and the “younger brothers” – Kadyrov and Akhmat – will take over fighting for the city. Kadyrov reported that the Chechen units have fought alongside Wagner forces in Popasna, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, and other areas of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk oblast.

Meanwhile, Kadyrov condemned Prigozhin for displaying the bodies of his dead mercenaries and scolded him for publicly criticizing the Russian Defense Ministry. Kadyrov recalled that during the siege of Mariupol, Chechen units asked the ministry for five tanks to support its infantry units but received only one tank, whose crew fled after the first battle against Ukraine’s Azov Battalion.

Read also: After Prigozhin’s statement about leaving Bakhmut, Malyar says Russia will try to capture city by May 9

On May 4, Prigozhin published a video showing rows of dead Wagner mercenaries, claiming they had died that day in Bakhmut. He also criticized Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and head of Russia’s General Staff Valery Gerasimov, stating that Wagner forces are lacking as much as 70% of the ammunition they need to continue fighting.

Read also: Arrests in Russian National Guard, Kadyrov worried about internal resistance

On May 5, Prigozhin announced that his troops would leave Bakhmut by May 10 due to a lack of ammunition. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the matter.

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