Posted on 02/21/2023 1:50:20 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia's mercenary Wagner Group, has accused unspecified officials of deliberately denying his fighters sufficient ammunition as part of an ongoing rivalry between himself and parts of the Russian elite. A onetime catering entrepreneur, Progozhin has assumed an increasingly public role in Russian politics since the start of the war in Ukraine, with his Wagner Group spearheading Russia's long battle for the town of Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region. In an audio message released on February 20 by his press service, Prigozhin said he was required to "apologize and obey" in order to secure ammunition for his troops.
(Excerpt) Read more at rferl.org ...
Denying implies a surplus to be had.
I assume that Russia is either anticipating a fight to Moscow and needs reserves or that they are running out.
So far, the Wagner Mercenaries are the only ones who are fighting. The conscripts aren't doing much. The Chechens are being used as barrier troops to keep the Russian conscripts in line.
The Russian Ground Forces used Chechen troops from the 141st Special Motorized Regiment during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine as barrier troops to shoot deserters who tried to leave combat zones.
Amazing! Reuters has embedded journalists in the Russian Army! /s
In an audio message released on February 20 by his press service, Prigozhin said he was required to "apologize and obey" in order to secure ammunition for his troops.
Putin kept the Russian military weak so they wouldn’t challenge his rule. Yevgeny Prigozhin recognizes that the military is pathetic so obviously in response they’re denying him ammunition until he apologized.
Bull crap!
Western propaganda. Russia never tore down or or decommissioned any of it’s arms plants.
I grew up next to the badger munitions plant in Prairie DU Sac, WI. It was completely torn down.
Russia can only operate on the current level because they kept them up.
Smart for Russia, sucks for us.
A Russian military group is going to run out of amunition, supported by Vladimir Putin. I can’t ROFL hard enough. Clearly the psyops group are on some pretty good drugs
well, that’s one way to end their contract...
As Putin delivered his plan of action, the Russian’s reportedly summoned the American Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and delivered a strong Démarche:
The note of protest handed over to the ambassador emphasizes that the pumping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with weapons, as well as the transfer of target designations for strikes against Russian military and civilian infrastructure, clearly prove the inconsistency and falsity of the assertions of the American side that the United States is not a party to the conflict. It is also indicated that the weapons supplied to Kyiv, as well as service personnel, including American citizens, are a legitimate target.
In this regard, the ambassador was told that the current aggressive course of the United States to deepen confrontation with Russia in all areas is counterproductive. It was especially noted that in order to de-escalate the situation, Washington must take steps that involve the withdrawal of US-NATO military and equipment, as well as the cessation of hostile anti-Russian activity.
The Russian side also emphasized that the United States should give explanations about the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines and not interfere with an objective investigation to identify those responsible.
This means Russia is putting the United States on notice that Moscow will hold America accountable and that any U.S. military and equipment inside Ukraine will be treated as legitimate targets. As I have watched the commentary on this speech, I have seen no one pick up on Russia’s new “red line.”
Prior to start of Russia’s Special Military Operation in February 2022, there were many in the Russian Government, including Putin, who believed that they could negotiate in good faith with the West. The events of the past year and the belligerent rhetoric from Washington politicians and Europe’s ruling class have convinced the Russians that traditional diplomacy is dead. Russia is fighting for its very existence.
Whether you agree with this is irrelevant. It is what Russia’s leaders believe, not just Putin. The West will make a fatal mistake if they ignore what Putin said today.
What's new about that? Russia has, for example, already claimed to have destroyed 3x more HIMARS than we even sent.
Russia DID, however, lose the considerable capabilities and capacities of the former Soviet plants in Ukraine, which production was neglected, supply chains were not re-established, and most of the defense industry in Ukraine faded away. (There’s a great vid on You Tube that goes into this in considerable detail.)
Putin’s desire to regain an ice-free deep water shipyard, cast steel tank turret production — these and more are often forgotten as part of Putin’s unstated (to the West) strategic goals.
Russia’s ability to crank out low tech rockets and artillery shells is unmatched @ present, except perhaps by the Chinese, but Russia struggles to produce modern tanks, for example.
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