The leader of the Russian Wagner military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a message published on Monday that the Ukrainian army is planning an imminent attack aimed at separating Wagner forces from the main body of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.
In the message shared by Prigozhin's press service, he stated that a "large-scale" attack is expected to be launched in late March or early April.
He demanded, "I urge you to take all necessary measures to prevent the separation of Wagner's private military company forces from the core army units, which will have negative consequences for the military operation."
This is the first time that the head of the Wagner group, Prigozhin, has published correspondence between himself and the Defense Minister, and he mentioned that he attached details about the Ukrainian plan and a proposal to counter it, without disclosing specifics.
He noted that Wagner forces currently control 70% of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which they have been trying to capture since last summer in the longest and deadliest battle of the war.
