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The Wagner group mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin looked “doomed” in the days before his death after an aborted rebellion against Russia’s military leadership, his mother has said. In the first interview with a close family member since the warlord’s death in August 2023, Violetta Prigozhina, 85, said that she had tried to dissuade her son from marching on Moscow and revealed that the authorities have still not told her what caused his death. Prigozhina told the Russian outlet Fontanka that she had warned her son: “Zhenya, only people on the internet will support you. No one will go with you....

Two years ago today, a small plane exploded in mid-air over Russia and killed all 10 people on board, including the infamous Yevgeny Prigozhin. The 62-year-old billionaire was the head of a mercenary gang called the Wagner Group. His abrupt end, however, came just two months after his bold - some would say barmy - decision to march his team towards the Moscow in an act of utter defiance against Mad Vlad's authority. Formerly an ally of the Russian dictator, he went from being Putin's chef to public enemy number one of the Kremlin. Below we take a look at...

Aaaand here we go Much more at thread...

As Russia’s ruling elite one-by-one fall down stairs or out windows, another star is rising. Now speculation is mounting that “Putin’s Chef” is preparing to step out of the kitchen. He started out with a catering business. He quickly became part of President Vladimir Putin’s inner sanctum. He’s now behind Russia’s cyber warriors and a host of online trolls. And he has his own mercenary army. Yevgeny Prigozhin is becoming increasingly bold. He’s spruiking his Wagner Group mercenaries as Russia’s most effective fighting force. He’s waging a verbal war against key Putin appointees. He’s winning public support among extremists who...

Russia has deployed a new military formation of about 15,000 soldiers to fight around Bakhmut. Ukraine's spy chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said the 25th Army was deployed earlier than planned. Budanov said Ukraine is pinning down Putin's forces near Bakhmut to prevent redeployment to the south.Ukraine is pinning down a newly created Russian reserve force near Bakhmut and is confident the 15,000-strong unit will be destroyed, Ukraine's spy chief says.Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone that Ukraine was pinning down Russian forces in Bakhmut to prevent them from being deployed to other axes where its counteroffensive is pushing forward."The Russians recently...

The use of heavy weapons supplied by the West in the fierce battle raging on the outskirts of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russia in May, is inflicting a significant toll on enemy lines, Ukrainian commanders have told Reuters. Buoyed after the capture last week of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian troops have lauded the 155 millimetre howitzers as key equipment being provided by the United States and its NATO allies. Unit commander Oleksandr said Ukraine's armed forces "very much rely" on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the U.S.-made M109 self-propelled howitzer. "Even one gun can...

Ukraine reported on Monday its troops had recaptured more territory on the eastern front and advanced in the south in its military counteroffensive against Russian forces. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Kyiv's forces had retaken two square km (0.77 square mile) of land in the past week around the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops in May after months of fighting. Ukraine reported on Monday its troops had recaptured more territory on the eastern front and advanced in the south in its military counteroffensive against Russian forces. Overall, Ukraine regained more than 260 square...

Ukraine said on Friday it had recaptured the devastated eastern village of Andriivka, setting the stage for further advances on the southern flank of Bakhmut, the city that fell into Russian hands in May after months of heavy fighting. Kyiv's troops were securing their foothold in the area, while Russian forces suffered significant casualties and lost equipment, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a morning report. There was no immediate comment from Russia. "In the course of assault operations, they seized Andriivka in Donetsk region," the General Staff said. The village of Andriivka lies south of Bakhmut, the site of...

A Wagner mercenary fighting in Ukraine had only a 1-in-5 chance of making it through unscathed, according to the latest figures. The unverified numbers, posted on Telegram by several Wagner-affiliated channels, claim that in all operations from the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion up until the “capture of Bakhmut” on May 20: · Wagner had 78,000 thousand fighters in total. · 49,000 of these were convicts. · 22,000 were killed. · 40,000 wounded This leave just 16,000 that made it through the fighting without being killed or injured. The figures appear to have been released in response to Russian Ministry...

Update from Ukraine | Bakhmut will be encircled soon | Ruzzia is in the deep problem | Supplies cut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wALdKCM0ixc The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the last 48 hours, as of 2nd July 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time). https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-494-summary/ *** Great interactive map with viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use for each Front! https://militaryland.net/maps/

Armchair Warlord @ArmchairW The Battle of Bakhmut is over. It was one of the longest battles of the 21st century to date, and certainly the bloodiest. Russia won. In doing so it destroyed much of the Ukrainian Army's combat power while buying time to generate forces for future offensives. How much of the Ukrainian Army's combat power? The Grey Zone Telegram channel compiled a partial list of Ukrainian units reported in Bakhmut at some point during the nine-month battle. This is something like a third of the AFU's order of battle. Losses were obviously extreme. Russian casualties were modest in...

Ukrainian forces have advanced on Bakhmut, Kyiv's deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said, describing the embattled city as the 'epicentre of hostilities'. Ms Maliar said Kyiv's troops had 'some success' on the battlefield surrounding Bakhmut and they are 'advancing on a wide front', but she dismissed suggestions of a major operation. 'The main focus now is on the Bakhmut sector,' she said. 'This has resulted in certain successes, including advances. We have taken control of certain heights.' -snip- News of the Ukrainian advances came after the head of Russia's feared paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, slammed claims by the Russian...

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group released a video Sunday showing what it claimed to be a captured high-ranking Russian officer who’s been accused of firing on the private army’s vehicle during the battle for Bakhmut. In the footage, the captive, identified as Lt. Col. Roman Venevitin, commander of the Russian Ground Forces’ 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, is seen with an injury to his nose during an interrogation.

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had retaken part of the village of Berkhivka, north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, calling it a "disgrace". Prigozhin's private Wagner militia captured Bakhmut last month after the longest battle of the war and handed its positions there to regular Russian troops. Ukrainian forces have continued to attack areas north and south of the city including Berkhivka, whose seizure Wagner had claimed on Feb. 24. The village lies about 3 km (1.9 miles) northwest of Bakhmut. "Now part of the settlement of Berkhivka has already been lost, the troops...

Russian forces have succeeded in taking control of the small eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Their costly 10-month assault has left them exhausted and hemmed in with little chance of advancing. Since the battle for Bakhmut began last summer, observers have puzzled over why Moscow expended lives and equipment to destroy and capture a city with limited strategic value. Ukraine also drew criticism for devoting resources to its defense of the city, but its leaders have said bogging down Russian forces there was worth the cost. The protracted battle, in which thousands of Russian soldiers have died, has drawn parallels...

Chief of Russia’s notorious Wagner mercenary force and self-proclaimed "butcher" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has once again come out swinging at Moscow's defense ministry, this time warning there will be a revolution like the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution if Russian elites do not get serious about the war in Ukraine. According to a Reuters report Wednesday, Prigozhin in an interview posted to Telegram said that there are already "tens of thousands" of angry Russians who are sick of seeing loved ones come back in zinc coffins while the children of Moscow’s elite "shook their a---s." "This divide can...

Update from Ukraine | Wagner moves out | The military map Update https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9M11UkkJZI ****NEW SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: Invasion Day 458 – Summary Jerome – May 27, 2023. https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-458-summary/ 5-28-2023- Ukraine is forming a new mechanized brigade of the Ground Forces. https://militaryland.net/news/new-mechanized-brigade-is-being-formed/ Ukrainian Army is being expanded by a new brigade, 44th Mechanized Brigade. The unit is currently at the stage of formation. As photos on social media suggest, it’s one of the Polish-trained Ukrainian brigades.The brigade received military number A4723 and at least one battalion is equipped with Polish-donated BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles. The unit has been...

The current hysterical actions and statements of Prigozhin are a consequence of his attempt to save himself from the anger of the Kremlin’s top leadership. ... The Wagner Group chief was also unable to capture Bakhmut after months of fighting, despite receiving Putin’s approval to recruit criminals strictly for the purpose. So, Prigozhin’s recent statements about withdrawing his group from Bakhmut and his extensive interview on the topic of how “we can f**k up Russia thanks to the Kremlin elite” are nothing more than an attempt at self-defense. Prigozhin is a product of the Putin system, but now his position...

Update from Ukraine | Ruzzian Ship was Damaged | Wagner Leaves Bakhmut | Awesome News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20VKbFclWpk ****NEW SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: Invasion Day 456– Summary May 23, 2023 Jerome News The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the last 48 hours, as of 25th May 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time). https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-456-summary/ *** Greatly appreciate the viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use on each Front map! [NOTE: "pleased to introduce you new maps. They are, just like the previous ones, handcrafted from OSM data to best suit our needs”

Update from Ukraine | Big Army was created to take Bakhmut back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ25wwq8sng ****NEW SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: Invasion Day 456– Summary May 23, 2023 Jerome News The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the last 48 hours, as of 25th May 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time). https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-456-summary/ *** Greatly appreciate the viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use on each Front map! [NOTE: "pleased to introduce you new maps. They are, just like the previous ones, handcrafted from OSM data to best suit our needs”]