The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 14th (local time) that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, a Russian civilian usage company, was trying to give the Ukrainian military the location of Russian troops.
Citing secret US documents recently leaked to the online chatting platform Discord, the WP said Prigozhin had offered Ukrainian commanders to share information on the location of Russian troops in January on condition that the Ukrainian forces withdraw from the strategic caterpillar site of Bakhmut.
Secret documents contain the fact that Prigozhin made this offer to contacts of the Military Intelligence Service (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, whom he secretly contacted during the war. However, the leaked documents did not reveal which Russian troops Prigozhin was trying to locate.
A Ukrainian official said that it was true that Prigozhin had made a proposal regarding Bahmut, but that Prigozhin was rejected because the Ukrainian military had low confidence in him and that his proposal was likely false.
The document also states that Prigozhin urged a Ukrainian intelligence officer to launch an attack on Crimea, saying that the Russian army was demoralized by difficulties in obtaining ammunition.
The Wagner group is fighting fierce battles with Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, the largest battlefield in eastern Ukraine. Prigozhin openly complained that the Russians did not supply them with sufficient ammunition.
On the 5th, Prigozhin pressed the Russian government, saying, “We can withdraw on May 10th,” saying that there is a shortage of ammunition.
He has publicly criticized Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for cutting off ammunition supplies.
In this regard, the WP reported that another document described a power struggle between senior Russian officials, including Prigozhin and Defense Minister Shoigu.
Although Prigozhin is an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the WP analyzed that his proposal to trade the sightings of the Wagner Group mercenaries for the Russian army could be considered an act of treason.
A document prepared through SIGINT (Signals intelligence) also suggested the possibility that the Kremlin was aware of the fact that Prigozhin and the HUR had an affair.
The document also states that “HUR director Kirillo Budanow hoped that Prigozhin would appear as a Ukrainian agent in the Crimean Palace through secret talks between the HUR and Prigozhin and secret meetings between Prigozhin and Ukrainian officers in Africa.”
When a report came out in a secret US document that he had colluded with the Ukrainian military, Prigozhin mocked on Telegram, saying, “I have nothing to hide from foreign intelligence agencies,” and “Budanou and I are still in Africa.”
Prigozhin did not answer questions about whether it was true that he had offered to disclose the location of Russian forces in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.