Yevgeny Prigozhin, the businessman behind the Wagner Private Military Company, spoke of intense combat in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, known locally as Artemovsk. He described a phase of the battle where ammunition deliveries for Wagner units arrived only temporarily, and he cautioned that the materials had not yet been used in combat in any lasting, live sense. The statements, released through the Concord press service, painted a picture of ongoing strain on the front lines and the challenges of sustaining operations in a contested urban landscape.
In his update, Prigozhin stated that on May 8 the front line had seen a maximum penetration of roughly 130 meters by Wagner-led groups, contributing to a broader claim that about 15,000 meters of the surrounding area had shifted under the control of the group while approximately 2.36 square meters remained under Ukrainian authority. He framed these numbers as indicative of a sustained push, emphasizing momentum even as the tactical environment remained fluid and the situation on the ground continued to evolve as different units pressed their advance through deteriorating urban terrain and adverse logistics conditions.
Prigozhin described the fighting as relentless and persistent, noting that the groups involved were advancing despite the formidable obstacles encountered within the urban battlefield. He added that preliminary procurement of ammunition had begun, yet he stressed that the items had not yet been observed in combat situations in the sense of being actively deployed by troops in the field. The implication was that supply lines were under strain and that a lag between material delivery and battlefield use was influencing operational tempo and strategy on the outskirts and inside the city itself.
In remarks from May 7, Prigozhin asserted that the PMC remained positioned in Bakhmut while the Russian Defense Ministry had pledged to provide the Wagner units with weapons “as much as needed to sustain the confrontation.” He claimed that Wagner had been notified it could act with flexibility in the city, operating under the conditions it found most advantageous. The statements suggested a push for autonomy in tactical decisions at the local level, coupled with a commitment from Moscow to support the group with the necessary firepower to maintain pressure on Ukrainian forces amid a contested urban siege.
Earlier messaging from May 5 indicated that Wagner anticipated a withdrawal from Bakhmut around May 10, attributed to what Prigozhin termed “shell hunger.” This forecast highlighted concerns about ammunition shortages and the broader logistical constraints that can shape strategic decisions in prolonged confrontations. The comments reflected a willingness to evaluate the dynamic balance between offensive capability and resource availability, underscoring the unpredictability tied to supply cycles, frontline endurance, and the evolving assessment of how best to sustain operations in a city that has become a focal point of the broader conflict.