Yevgeny Prigozhin accuses top generals of sabotaging his forces by withholding vital ammunition, exacerbating Wagner’s losses in Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, has launched a public attack against Russia’s highest-ranking military officials, accusing them of deliberately withholding essential supplies and ammunition from his forces in Ukraine. According to Prigozhin, this refusal is directly responsible for the growing number of casualties among Wagner troops, particularly in the critical fight near Bakhmut.

In a damning statement, Prigozhin’s press service shared a photograph of several fallen soldiers, claiming they died as a result of the ongoing “shell hunger”—the severe shortage of artillery and ammunition needed to sustain the group’s operations. The image depicted soldiers lying lifeless in the snow, and while its authenticity could not be independently verified, Prigozhin’s words underscored the gravity of the situation.

“This is just one of the many spots where our fallen soldiers are collected,” Prigozhin commented. “These men died because of a lack of necessary shells. There should be far fewer casualties, but this shortage is killing them.”

Prigozhin held the country’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov directly responsible for the deaths, blaming them for failing to provide the needed military resources. The Wagner chief made clear that these individuals’ refusal to act decisively was the root cause of the ongoing crisis within his ranks.

The conflict between Prigozhin and Russia’s military elite is not new. The Wagner Group has long operated on the fringes of official Russian military strategy, sometimes at odds with the Kremlin’s top generals over tactics, leadership, and the use of convict soldiers. However, Prigozhin’s latest accusations of “high treason” against Shoigu and Gerasimov reveal just how deep the infighting runs.

The rift between the Wagner Group and Russia’s Ministry of Defence is threatening to further destabilize the Russian war effort. With both sides engaged in a bitter public feud, Prigozhin’s criticism of military officials comes at a time when Russia’s military is already facing significant challenges on the battlefield, including setbacks and a lack of decisive progress in key regions of Ukraine. The ongoing tensions only complicate Russia’s strategic position in the conflict, as infighting among elite factions could divert focus from the war’s main objectives.