Ukraine war: Wagner boss rubbishes Russian claims of Ukrainian casualties

A caller enactment has breached retired betwixt the Wagner Group and the Russian military, arsenic long-simmering hostility betwixt the groups threatens to spill over.

Wagner brag Yevgeny Prigozhin dismissed Russia's claims to person inflicted dense losses connected Ukraine successful the Donbas erstwhile Kyiv attempted violative action.

Prigozhin said the claims were "simply chaotic and absurd subject fiction".

But Russia's defence ministry doubled down connected the claims connected Tuesday, saying Ukraine suffered implicit 3,700 casualties.

Russia said the onslaught was portion of a Ukrainian "long-promised offensive" successful the Donetsk region, which took spot implicit Sunday and Monday.

Ukraine's subject said connected Monday that it had nary accusation astir a large onslaught successful the region, and that it wouldn't remark connected claims it called "fake".

Speaking to authorities media, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu insisted that his forces had inflicted implicit 3,715 casualties connected Ukraine during the onslaught and destroyed dozens of pieces of subject equipment.

"The attempts astatine an violative person failed. The force has been halted. Russian soldiers and officers displayed courageousness and heroism successful the battles," Mr Shoigu said, adding that 71 Russian troops died successful the fighting.

However, Prigozhin was speedy to deed retired astatine the defence ministry's claims connected Monday evening, saying the claims of a immense occurrence would magnitude to a "massacre".

"Therefore, I deliberation that these are conscionable immoderate chaotic fantasies," helium wrote connected Telegram. He besides accused Russian forces of "slowly" withdrawing from the colony of Berkhivka connected the outskirts of Bakhmut, calling it a "disgrace".

Moscow rejected Prigozhin's claims successful a connection connected Tuesday. It said his allegations did "not correspond to reality" and insisted that the suburb remained nether Moscow's control.

Ukrainian officials person admitted to shifting to "offensive actions" successful immoderate parts connected the country.

On Monday, Kyiv's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said immoderate violative operations had commenced astir the eastbound metropolis of Bakhmut, which she called an "epicentre of hostilities".

In a video code precocious connected Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Ukrainian fighters for delivering "the quality we are expecting" successful the Bakhmut region.

Bakhmut has for months been astatine the bosom of fierce fighting. It has small strategical worth - but is important symbolically some for Kyiv and Moscow.

Prigozhin's fighters were heavy progressive successful the conflict for Bakhmut, and helium regularly criticised Russian officials for what helium said was a deficiency of front-line support. But astatine the extremity of May he said his forces were withdrawing from the city successful bid to transportation power to the Russian army.

He is believed to clasp his ain governmental ambitions, and his forces' objectives person not ever aligned with the military's, resulting successful hostility betwixt the factions.

In a video released by the group, the serviceman said that the incidental happened portion helium was drunk, and that helium had opened occurrence owed to his dislike for Wagner.