The head of the Russian Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov of trying to destroy his group through actions amounting to "treason of the homeland," as he put it.
Prigozhin said, in an audio recording that his media office published on Telegram today, Tuesday, that "the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense issue orders and request not only not to deliver ammunition to the Wagner Group, but also not to assist it in the field of air transport."
He added, "There is a direct confrontation that is no less than an attempt to destroy Wagner, and amounts to treason to the homeland, while Wagner is fighting for Bakhmut and incurring hundreds of human losses every day."
In the audio recording, Prigozhin complained that unnamed officials had denied supplies to Wagner's fighters because of personal hostility to him.
Prigozhin's statements indicate an escalation of tension between the Wagner Group and the Russian army, despite their fighting side by side against the Ukrainian forces.
The tension has become more apparent in recent weeks with Russian forces attempting to seize the strategic city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, with both the military and the Wagner Group claiming progress in sometimes contradictory statements.
Wagner launched the attack on Bakhmut since last summer and recently took control of several towns in an attempt to besiege the city.
Prigozhin had previously criticized the Russian military leadership, describing it as a "terrible bureaucracy" and accusing it of putting obstacles in the way of his group, but his new statements are an escalation against two main figures.
The head of Wagner accused the Russian leadership today of having prevented even handing over shovels to his fighters to dig trenches.