Free Republic

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, on Thursday accused regular Russian army units of pulling back 570 meters north of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, leaving his own fighters’ flanks exposed. -snip- Prigozhin, who has repeatedly accused Russia’s top military brass of not doing enough to back his men, asked the defense ministry to do all it could to protect Bakhmut’s flanks after what he alleged was a withdrawal. “Unfortunately, units of the Russian defense ministry have withdrawn up to 570 meters to the north of Bakhmut, exposing our flanks,” Prigozhin said in a voice message....

Russia will not immediately demand that buyers pay for its gas exports in rubles, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, promising a gradual shift and saying Russia should work on an idea to widen the list of its exports requiring ruble payment. President Vladimir Putin issued an order last week for Russian gas, which accounts for 40 percent of European needs, to paid for in rubles instead of dollars or euros. -snip- Asked whether the payments should be in rubles starting from Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Absolutely no.”