Yusov announced the "huge" losses of the occupiers in the direction of Bakhmut.
The Russian occupiers have problems with providing ammunition, but near Bakhmut and Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, they actively use the available shells. Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, stated this in an interview published on May 8 by RBC-Ukraine.
"The loss of personnel and equipment in all units of the Rashists, which carry out assault operations in the Bakhmut direction, is huge. This is true. And this includes the Wagnerites. And the expenses of the BC are large. That is why such a deficit is observed. In addition, with the recruitment of additional fighters, even in the zones, there are indeed serious problems in various PMCs, including those from Wagner. Although such recruiting continues," Yusov noted.
According to him, in general, along the entire front line, the strategic narrative of the enemy is a transition to defensive actions.
"But in those directions where attempts at offensive operations continue, in particular Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, they are trying not to spare ammunition. Although there is information about problems with BC, with equipment, with armored vehicles, there is also information about problems with artillery. We cannot have them. and we should not exaggerate in these areas, but such signals are coming," Yusov summarized.
On May 5, the owner of the Russian PMV "Wagner", recognized as a criminal organization in the world, Yevhen Prigozhin published a video against the background of the bodies of the dead mercenaries, in which he berates the head of the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, for the lack of ammunition.
Later that day, Prigozhin published a second appeal in which he declared that the Wagnerites would hand over their positions near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region to units of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, leaving them behind due to a shortage of ammunition. He put the blame for this on the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Russian General Staff.
Serhii Cherevaty, the spokesman of the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that the Russian fighters lack not ammunition, but people, they suffer heavy losses and are "looking for a reason to leave" Bakhmut.
On May 5, Shoigu tasked his deputy for rear support, Oleksiy Kuzmenkov, to "keep under special control" the issue of "continuous and rhythmic supply" of Russian military groups with the necessary weapons and military equipment in the combat zone in the war against Ukraine.