Russian army deceiving President Putin: Wagner Chief

Bakhmut, May 10: The chief of Russia's private mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin on Tuesday accused the top generals of Russia of "deceiving" President Vladimir Putin over the war with Ukraine. The comment came after Yevgeny Prigozhin publicly expressed his disappointment over the troops of the Russian military, whom he accused of fleeing their position near Bakhmut in east Ukraine.

 

 

 

"If all the tasks are being carried out in such a way as to deceive the commander-in-chief (Putin), then either he will rip your arse or the Russian people will, who will be angry that the war is lost," Prigozhin said. Wagner Yevgeny also questioned Russia's ability to defend the country as Ukraine prepares for a spring offensive. "Why is the state not able to defend its country?" Prigozhin said in a scathing video, adding that Ukraine was hitting Russian border regions "successfully".

 

 

 

The warnings by the Wagner chief came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a fiery speech on Red Square in front of the Kremlin walls targeting "Western global elites" and said Russia again faced an existential threat.

"Today, civilization is again at a decisive turning point. A real war has been unleashed against our homeland," said the Russian leader, who last year ordered what the West calls an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, destroying cities and killing thousands of civilians. Ukraine said its air defenses shot down 23 of 25 cruise missiles fired chiefly at the capital Kyiv overnight, and there were no reported casualties. It was the second night in a row of major Russian air strikes and the fifth so far this month.

 

Also Read: Drone Attack on Kremlin 

 

"Overnight into the 'sacred' May 9, (they) launched an attack on the territory of Ukraine," Ukraine's air force said.

Sergei Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said the Russians were trying to kill civilians. "As at the front, the plans of the aggressor failed."