Putin ally Prigozhin wants control of Ukraine’s Bakhmut mines, says US

Washington — The US suspects Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is the founder of mercenary group Wagner, is interested in taking control of salt and gypsum mines near the Ukrainian-held city of Bakhmut, a White House official said on Thursday.

There are indications that monetary motives are driving Russia’s “obsession” with Bakhmut, the official said, adding Prigozhin is suspected of wanting the mines.

The US has previously accused Russian mercenaries of exploiting natural resources in the Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan and elsewhere to help fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine, a charge Russia rejected as “anti-Russian rage”.

Prigozhin, who has been sanctioned by Western countries for his role in Wagner, bade farewell on Thursday to former convicts who had served out their contracts in Ukraine and urged them to avoid the temptation to rape and kill when back in civilian life.

Out of its force of nearly 50,000 mercenaries, Wagner has sustained over 4,100 killed and 10,000 wounded, including over 1,000 killed between late November and early December near Bakhmut, the US official said on Thursday.

The White House said late last month that Wagner, took delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea to help bolster Russian forces in Ukraine, a sign of the group’s expanding role in that conflict.

Reuters