White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing that in the five months of fighting near Bakhmut, Russian forces suffered about 100,000 casualties. The figure is based on US intelligence estimates, Kirby told Reuters. According to these data, 20 thousand Russians were killed, half of them were Wagner PMC fighters.
A White House spokesman noted that Russian forces had made some progress at Bakhmut but had paid a "terrible price" for it. It is noted that the defense of Ukraine in the region remains strong.
On April 29, the founder of PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, threatened Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that the Wagnerites would leave Bakhmut if the problem with the shortage of ammunition was not resolved. Prigozhin spoke about this in an interview with "military correspondent" Semyon Pegov.
“If the shortage of ammunition is not replenished, then we will be forced in an organized manner, so as not to run away like cowardly rats later, either go out or stay to die. Most likely, we will be forced to withdraw part of the units from this territory, ”he said.
According to Prigozhin, the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will begin no later than May 15 and could lead to catastrophic consequences for Russia. He also stated in an interview that the Wagner PMC "will cease to exist after some time."