An extraordinary announcement by Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin that his fighters will abandon the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut looks like an exercise in blame avoidance and disinformation, Russia specialists and military analysts say.
But it takes his conflict with defense chiefs to a new level in what has been a difficult week for Moscow, two days after a purported drone attack on the Kremlin. It also highlights Russian frustration at failing to complete the capture of Bakhmut after more than nine months of costly, intense battle.
Prigozhin delivered an effective ultimatum to President Vladimir Putin and the military establishment on Friday by saying Wagner would quit Bakhmut on May 10 and withdraw to "lick its wounds" after suffering exponentially rising losses. He accused military bureaucrats of starving it of the ammunition it needed.