Obama fired this guy for way less. That's expected, and no one was surprised or upset about it really. You talk smack about the civilian leadership above you, you are done. Even Even the great Gen. Douglas MacArthur, hero of the Pacific theater was done in by Ike for insubordination.
“Earlier today, Prigozhin had another meltdown at at Putin’s MOD and is threatening to pull his Wagner troops from the Bakhmut area.”
If he gets any angrier he’ll just take them to Odessa
Bakhmut is of course of strategic value. It is covering the crossing of three major train lines and four major roads (M-03, M-32, T-13-02, T-05-13). As such it is the linchpin of the whole Donbas region. Besides that it also has some valuable mineral mines.
That is why the Ukrainian government has send ten thousands of its troops to fight and die for that city.
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Russian source report death per week at a lower rate than Ukrainian death per day. The ratio is again about 10 Ukrainians for 1 Russian.
I have said for a while that Bakhmut was in operational encirclement. Russian artillery could reach its last roads in and out. Since three days ago Bakhmut is in tactical encirclement. Russian direct fire, i.e. tank guns and hand held anti-tank missiles, can now cover all of Bakhmut's supply routes. They will shot at any car that attempts to drive there. Its one reason why the reported deaths have harshly increased.
Should the Ukraine decide to order its soldiers to stay in Bakhmut the city will be physically encircled. All roads will be blocked not only by fire but by heavily armed Russian checkpoints. The Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut, several thousands still seem to be there, will then be left with only two options: surrender or die.