The units of the Wagner private military company have advanced in Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine) and Ukrainian troops still control 2.37 square kilometers, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner PMC, said.
“Today, the advance by the Wagner PMC units amounted up to 280 meters in various directions. We’ve advanced by 53,000 meters. The enemy still controls 2.37 square kilometers,” Prigozhin’s press service quoted him as saying on its Telegram channel. “We are advancing, expecting ammunition,” he added.
On Sunday, May 7, Prigozhin said that the Wagner PMC would receive ammunition and arms to continue fighting.
Earlier, he said that the Wagner units would remain at their positions in Artyomovsk until May 9 and then pull out “to rear bases to lick their wounds” and prevent personnel losses. He also asserted that the Wagner PMC experienced a shortage of ammunition.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad has warned that the U.S. authorities are pushing humanity towards a world war by contributing to emergence of two hostile blocs.
“The US will try to get other countries to join in the action against Russia, and Russia will also have to find friendly countries which will support it,” Mahathir, 97, said in an interview for the Global Times. “There will be confrontation between the Eastern bloc and Western bloc. And this will escalate and become a world war.”
The expert noted that the conflict in Ukraine, provoked by the West, has already affected the entire world. He noted that the complicated situation has led to increased spending for essential goods around the world, negatively affecting grain shipments.
“The invitation to Ukraine to join NATO is a provocation. In fact, if Ukraine doesn’t join NATO, I think Russia will feel less threatened, and there will be no confrontation. But once the process is started, Russia will take preemptive action,” Mahathir said.
He pointed out that NATO states are not directly involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict et, because Ukraine is not a member of the alliance. However, according to the ex-Prime Minister, the standoff with Russia harms NATO member states greatly.
“In the end, they [Russia and Ukraine] will have to find some settlement. It is better for them to talk to each other, to discuss, to negotiate,” Mahathir said.