Evgeny Prigozhin's answers to the main questions that society has

telegra.ph

9 min

May 6, 2023

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In order to exclude false rumors, I answer the main questions that the society has for me and for Wagner PMC .

 I. What did Wagner PMC do in Bakhmut? Why was Bakhmut needed?

1. PMC "Wagner" entered the territory of the settlement of Pervomaiskoye on March 19, 2022, due to the fact that the Russian Armed Forces could not cope with the assigned tasks, advance the front in a westerly direction and break through the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine along the line of 2014.

2. PMC "Wagner" successfully coped with the task of breaking through the fortified defense area of ​​the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the first point of which was the settlement of Popasnaya, by May 9, 2022. The presence of these fortified areas was not included in the plans of the NWO. We were supposed to take Popasnaya by May 14-15, but we balked at doing it according to tradition on Victory Day.

3. After the flight of the units of the RF Ministry of Defense from the Kherson, Nikolaev, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions (Krasny Liman, Kupyansk, Izyum), the units of the PMC "Wagner" held back the onslaught of the enemy on the front with a length of 148 km, while in a day they set up positions on a part of the front with a length of 38 km.

4. On October 8, 2022, together with General of the Army Sergei Surovikin, it was decided to launch the operation "Bakhmut meat grinder" - an assault on the village of Bakhmut in order to provoke Vladimir Zelensky to throw in as many forces as possible to hold Bamkhut. In Bakhmut, we grinded APU, hence the name - “Bakhmut meat grinder”.

5. The purpose of the operation "Bakhmut meat grinder" was to enable the units of the Russian army to take advantageous defense lines, mobilize, re-equip, train personnel and increase their combat potential.

6. The period of the operation, together with Army General S. Surovikin, was a period of 6 months (conditionally until April 8, 2023).

7. The settlement of Bakhmut has no strategic importance for further advancement to the west.

8. Of strategic importance for the advancement of the Russian army is the capture of the settlements of Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Druzhkovka, Konstantinovka - the “Donbas Ring”, to the west of which flat territories open up, on which it is difficult for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to maintain defense in the event of an offensive by superior forces of the Russian army.

 II. Why did “shell hunger” arise?

9. Against the backdrop of the promotion of PMC "Wagner", which occupied 1500 sq. km and 71 settlements, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation suffered setbacks: defeats on the fronts, lack of control, scandals with mobilization, problems with supplies, discipline, and so on.

10. To compensate for their failures, due to envy, when trying to intrigue, the Ministry of Defense decided to start countering the Wagner PMC:

- the recruitment of volunteers among prisoners was prohibited;

- the supply of weapons has been stopped;

- reduced the supply of ammunition to 30% of applications (from May 2023 - up to 10%).

11. The Department of Defense created other problems:

- the issuance of well-deserved orders and medals to the dead has ceased;

- PMC "Wagner" was denied the possibility of air flights for the transfer of personnel from Africa to the NVO zone;

- persons from the Ministry of Defense interacting with PMC "Wagner" were forbidden to communicate with units of PMC "Wagner";

– special connection is disabled;

- Aircraft for the operational transfer of ammunition were denied.

12. Despite the opposition of the Ministry of Defense, Wagner PMC continued to successfully conduct military operations.

13. In order to ensure a complete "shell blockade", which does not consist in an artificial shortage of shells, but in a complete cessation of supplies, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev was fired. 

14. PMC "Wagner" has the opportunity to acquire shells in other ways, not from the stocks of the Russian army. However, PMC Wagner, together with foreign partners, was refused assistance in facilitating its own supplies and production of ammunition.

 III. Why is Wagner PMC leaving Bakhmut?

15. PMC "Wagner" has been fighting for almost 400 days, since March 19, 2022. After conducting military operations (for which, according to all current military standards, 25 days are allotted), practically all units are withdrawn for reorganization, retraining and rest.

16. For seven months of the "Bakhmut meat grinder" PMC "Wagner" has lost its combat potential. The reason for this was the restrictions on the reception of personnel, created in February 2023, the lack of the required amount of weapons, the lack of the required amount of ammunition (artificially created "shell hunger").

17. It should be noted that the operation "Bakhmut meat grinder" was designed mainly not to take the settlement of Bakhmut, but to grind the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and organize a respite for the Russian army to restore combat capability.

18. The Bakhmut meat grinder has fully completed its task.

19. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on March 7, 2023 that taking control of Bakhmut would pave the way for a further offensive deep into the defenses of the Ukrainian army. He called Bakhmut an important center of defense for Ukrainian troops in the Donbass. In the direction of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, the operational space is already open, and the remainder of 2.42 sq. km does not matter for operational space.

IV. What will Wagner PMC do after leaving Bakhmut?

20. After leaving Bakhmut, Wagner PMC will go to training camps to restore combat capability, retrain units, and will stay there until the threat to Russia and Russian citizens disappears as part of this military operation. In the event of a threat, PMC "Wagner" will certainly immediately stand up for the defense of their homeland.

21. Most of the fighters and commanders joined the Wagner PMC, leaving the units of the Ministry of Defense, as they completely lost confidence in them. Therefore, the divisions of PMC "Wagner" made a decision on the impossibility of joining the structures of the Ministry of Defense. It should also be noted that Wagner PMC is a team of like-minded people. Most "Wagnerians" would rather go on a well-deserved rest than go to other units. PMC "Wagner" is not a place of service, it is a vocation and philosophy. 

V. How is the ammunition rate calculated?

(All figures are somewhat distorted, but the general meaning and proportions are observed)

22. So, how is the calculation of ammunition. We take as a basis the conditional grouping of PMC "Wagner" in 30 thousand people on combat missions in Bakhmut.

- Opposite PMC "Wagner" there is an enemy in the amount of about 80 thousand people. And directly in the Bakhmut agglomeration there are about 35 thousand enemy people.

- When attacked, the standard ratio of forces according to the standards should be 3: 1. That is, for every defender, there are three attackers.

- With the enemy grouping of 35 thousand people and the number of weapons [X], PMC "Wagner" should be 105 thousand people, and the number of weapons [X] x 3.

- Thus, the combat potential of PMC "Wagner" should be three times the potential of the enemy.

- In fact, the combat potential of PMC "Wagner" is less than the combat potential of the enemy by 1.2-2 times (that is, 3.6-6 times less than required for offensive operations).

- Despite the lack of numbers of units, weapons and ammunition, PMC "Wagner" compensates for this lack of serious superiority in the level of organization, interaction and training.

23. PMC "Wagner" spends an average of 6 thousand shells per day. And he submits his applications, based on the required quantity, solely on the experience of previous days.

24. Until May 2023, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense signed from 10 to 30% of the requirements of the ammunition specified in the application, depending on the period. However, thanks to the actions of the responsible officers of the Ministry of Defense, we were able to receive them more than signed - namely, from 30 to 60% of the need.

25. Thus, on average, from October 2022 to May 2023, we received 38% of the requested requirement.

26. The same situation with weapons and military equipment: the supply of Wagner PMC in terms of tanks, artillery and armored vehicles amounted to 30-40% of the required amount for combat missions.

27. How to calculate the required amount of ammunition? There are many different options:

- First: from the experience of conducting combat operations, taking into account the number, including the missing tanks, artillery, armored vehicles and weapons for the previous period. So, in our opinion, this is the most practical option.

- Second: according to the norms determined by the Rules for firing and fire control, the consumption of ammunition for suppressing an enemy platoon stronghold is 180 shells per 1 hectare. The average length of the Wagner front, taking into account different periods, is 80 km. This is about 400 strongholds of the enemy. To suppress them, 180 x 400 are needed, that is, 72 thousand shells per day. And so every day.

- Third: to suppress one NATO mechanized division for a conditional operation (25 days), about 270 thousand calculated ammunition (152 mm) is needed, according to the methodology of operational-tactical calculations. One NATO division is 12 thousand people. 35 thousand is three divisions. Three divisions - 270 thousand times 3 (for suppression) - 810 thousand shells. We divide by 25 days - we get 32 ​​thousand shells per day for suppression.

28. I remind you: we asked for 6,000 shells a day, they signed us from 600 to 1,000 shells, and we received 1,5-2,000 shells a day.

29. For example, in order not to reveal secrets: 10 types of ammunition that were ordered for the first decade of May. Requested by PMC "Wagner" 45 thousand, signed for the issuance of 5800 shells.

30. Thanks to Colonel General Mizintsev for giving out a little more than they signed at the General Staff. Very little, but at least something. Since May 1, after his dismissal, they are no longer issued at all.

VI. How does the lack of ammunition affect sanitary losses?

31. To maintain combat effectiveness during a full-scale war, losses (“200s” and “300s”) of 10-12% in 25 days (the duration of a conditional military operation) are considered acceptable.

The arithmetic is very simple:

- If they give 18 thousand shells per day, the losses are 10%;

- If they give 6 thousand shells per day, the losses are 24%;

- If they give 2 thousand shells per day, the losses are 35% or more.

Nobody expects 10% of ammunition from the norm. In this case, the unit is doomed to death. Now we get 10%.

32. PMC "Wagner" according to military calculations should give 18 thousand shells per day. And there should be weapons [X] x 3. In this case, the losses would be 10-12% in a full-fledged war. The Wagner PMC had not [X] x 3, but [X] weapons, so we asked not 18, but 6 thousand shells. In this situation, our losses should have been 24%, with 6 thousand shells. But we were given 2,000 thanks to the efforts of the responsible generals and Mizintsev. Therefore, our calculated loss should have been 35% for every 25 days. That is, PMC "Wagner" for 6 months "Bakhmut meat grinder" was supposed to lose 200% of the personnel.

33. It should be noted that with a loss of 30%, the unit is considered not combat ready. We had to complete one combat mission (25 days): die and reformat, and so on 14 times in a row. Instead, we have been at war for 14 months in a row. This speaks of the insane effectiveness of Wagner PMC. These are standard calculations taught at the General Staff.

34. Of course, the losses, once again, thanks to the highest level of training, management and interaction, are lower than calculated. But PMC "Wagner" still suffered significant losses, and despite this, we are alive: interaction, control and morale have not been lost.

35. PMC "Wagner" is artificially brought to non-combat readiness due to the artificially created "shell hunger".

36. How do we survive? The answer is simple. Management, optimization, military tricks, interaction, immediate repair, restoration and modernization: both military equipment and personnel who, having been wounded, undergo a quick recovery course and again rush to perform combat missions. Because we are a monolithic team of like-minded people.

37. These qualities allowed us to grind about 50 thousand soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine killed and prevent the enemy’s counteroffensive until today along the entire front line.

VII. Where are the projectiles?

38. The Russian military industry has reached the volume of production of shells sufficient to provide in full about 5 such combat-ready formations as the Wagner PMC, with a front length of 120-150 km and a simultaneous offensive along all sectors of the front.

39. The volume of stockpiles of weapons and ammunition makes it possible to provide for everyone, including in standard quantities.

40. It is safe to say that two-thirds of the sanitary losses of PMC "Wagner" are caused exclusively by artificially created "shell hunger". These are tens of thousands of killed and wounded citizens of the Russian Federation who died and suffered severe injuries due to the artificially created “shell hunger”.

41. It must be borne in mind that many other units are also experiencing "shell hunger." It was assumed that if they received shells, they would share them with the Wagner PMC. Therefore, the termination of the activities of PMC "Wagner" will have a positive impact on other units and subunits, and will provide them with ammunition.

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