The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, signaled that if Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner PMC, decides to pull his troops back from Artemovsk, he and his fighters are prepared to move in and seize the city. This stance followed Prigozhin’s assertion that the Wagner group would leave Artemovsk on May 10 due to a shortage of ammunition.
Kadyrov stated that if Prigozhin and Wagner depart, the General Staff would lose a seasoned combat unit, while the Chechen leadership and its allied formations would step in to occupy Artemovsk. He suggested that, should this scenario unfold, his forces would advance and secure the city within hours, asserting, “This is a matter of hours.”
However, Kadyrov emphasized that he did not want the entire city to fall to the Russian army at the cost of lives, pointing to a balance forged through mutual understanding, support, command, and the resolve of the fighters involved. He also urged alignment with the directives of President Vladimir Putin.
He criticized what he called a lack of public commentary from the Russian Defense Ministry and a perceived absence of direct dialogue with Wagner leadership on the matter, noting that such engagement would help clarify the situation.
Kadyrov expressed hope that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu would heed calls to address ammunition shortages and that the General Staff would be ordered to take action and resolve the issue on the ground.
An expert who spoke previously suggested that Prigozhin’s announcement about leaving Bakhmut could be a strategic bluff intended to deceive Ukrainian forces.