The leader of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has stated in a video message that his fighters will not withdraw from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut without ammunition.

Prigozhin claimed that the "bureaucrats" had deliberately held back supplies, despite knowing that Wagner's plan was to capture the city on May 9, the World War Two commemoration day. In the same video message addressed to the military leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin criticized them for their petty jealousy and not giving the Russian people the chance to claim victory in taking Bakhmut.

The battle for Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine, has escalated as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues.

Russia's Wagner Group announced plans to withdraw from the city due to a lack of ammunition, but Ukraine claims that the group is actually reinforcing its positions in preparation for an attack before Russia's World War Two Victory Day next week. The capture of Bakhmut is a key objective for Russia as it attempts to gain control over other cities in Ukraine's Donbas region. The conflict has cost thousands of lives and has been ongoing for several months.

Despite recent setbacks, Ukrainian troops have managed to hold onto the city, repelling numerous attacks from Russian forces.

According to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the Donetsk region, Russian missiles struck a heavy machinery manufacturing plant in Kramatorsk and a home furnishing factory in Sloviansk.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in either of the attacks. Kramatorsk suffered significant damage, as seen in Reuters' photos and video footage, with blown-out windows and facades, as well as top floors reduced to twisted metal and other debris. In his statement, Prigozhin mentioned the exponential increase in their losses due to the lack of ammunition, adding that his fighters would be handing over their positions in Bakhmut to defence ministry units on May 10 and withdrawing to logistics camps to recover.

There is uncertainty surrounding the situation in Bakhmut as to whether Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will proceed with his planned withdrawal of fighters if they receive more ammunition, or whether the dispute is a smokescreen. Additionally, a senior Ukrainian official has claimed that Russia is transferring Wagner fighters from the front line to Bakhmut in an attempt to capture it before Victory Day. According to Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar, there has been a shift in the number of fighters present in Bakhmut, with the arrival of reinforcements from the front lines.

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin announced his intention to withdraw his forces from the town of Bakhmut due to a lack of ammunition.

Prigozhin blamed "bureaucrats" for not providing the supplies needed, despite knowing his group's plan to capture the town by May 9. Ukrainian forces have been pushed back in recent weeks, but they have continued to resist in Bakhmut, inflicting as many losses on the Russian forces as possible.

The withdrawal of Prigozhin's forces would require them to hand over their positions to the defense ministry units and retreat to logistics camps. The Russian military has not commented on the statement. Ukrainian officials say Russia is deploying Wagner mercenary fighters to capture Bakhmut in time for Victory Day. Prigozhin's announcement highlighted the pressure that Russian forces are under as Ukraine prepares for a counter-offensive with Western-donated armoured vehicles and freshly trained troops.

The Russian-installed governor of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region has ordered the evacuation of villages close to the front line with Ukrainian forces due to intensified shelling. President Zelenskiy has announced a "powerful reinforcement of weapons" for Ukrainian soldiers, and grain shipments from Ukraine under a U.N.-backed initiative have slowed due to concerns over ships getting stuck if a deal is not renewed.

Russian news agencies have reported a second drone attack on the Ilsky oil refinery on Friday, causing a fire but no casualties. This is the second such attack in as many days. It is unclear who is responsible for the attack. While Russia has suffered relatively few direct attacks during the ongoing conflict, it has been involved in supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.