Wagner boss Prigozhin asks archenemy Shoigu for help: fear of Ukraine offensive?

In the battle for Bakhmut, Russian concerns about a Ukrainian offensive are growing.

Wagner boss Prigoshin is now asking his rival for help.

Moscow – The Bakhmut region has been heavily contested since late summer.

According to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenaries are so far the only Russian units fighting in Bakhmut.

Not only are they gradually running out of ammunition at the front, they also lack reinforcements, as Putin's cook made clear in a letter to his rival and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shogiu.

The letter was shared by Prigozhin's press staff on the Telegram channel.

War in Ukraine: Wagner boss Prigozhin writes arch-enemy Shoigu and asks for help

In the letter published on Monday (March 20), Prigozhin asks the Ministry of Defense in Moscow for help.

Prigozhin said that according to his information, the Ukrainian armed forces were planning a large-scale offensive in late March and early April.

The aim is to cut off the Wagner group from the Russian armed forces.

Schoigu should urgently take the necessary steps to prevent this.

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In the battle for Bakhmut, Wagner boss Prigoshin asks arch-enemy Shoigu for help.

(archive photo)

© Sergei Ilnitsky/AFP

At the same time, Prigozhin warns of "negative consequences" for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"Currently, the Wagner units control around 70 percent of Bachmut and continue their attacks until full liberation," he said.

In his letter to Shoigu, he also included information on the formation of the Ukrainian armed forces, which was not published.

Ever since Prigozhin was banned from recruiting prisoners, the Wagner boss has been looking for another source of supplies for his private army.

The fact that he turns to Shoigu should make his desperation clear again.

Both men have not been on good terms with each other recently, as the think tank

reported.

Bachmut hard fought in the Ukraine war – does Russia fear an offensive?

Not only Prigozhin may have realized that Bakhmut could develop into a death zone.

Russian forces even speak of a possible Ukrainian offensive at Artemovsk (the Russian name for the city of Bakhmut).

"We are now watching the build-up of forces and assets in this area," pro-Russian militia leader Andrey Marochko told

radio station .

Marochko assumes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will stage a "terrific battle" in Artemowsk.

"Maybe he has a counter-offensive in mind there," said Marochko.

the officer

saw well-trained Ukrainian soldiers moving into the combat zone.

You also know the number of armored wheeled vehicles and multiple rockets as well as military reinforcements "thanks to the western partners."

A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia

A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia

War in Ukraine: Russian spring offensive likely to fail

According to the British Defense Ministry, paramilitary units from the Russian government-controlled Wagner Group now control most of the eastern part of the city.

According to the

however, the Russian attacks in Bakhmut have now come to a standstill.

There is no evidence of further advance.

In any case, military experts are increasingly doubting a military victory for the Russians in the Ukraine war.

Another

analysis states that a collapse of Russia's spring offensive is imminent.

Ukraine has good prospects of taking the initiative again militarily.

In order for the Ukrainians to be able to continue to withstand the Russian attacks, the armed forces would have to continue repelling the offensive.

"Only when they are weakened do gaps open up in the Russian front," said Austrian military expert Gutsav Gressel in

.

By exploiting the Russian army's weaknesses, the Ukrainians could be one step closer to turning the war around.

List of rubrics: © Sergei Ilnitsky/AFP