Tensions between Mr. Prigozhin and Russia’s military command have been building for months, getting ever more bitter as Wagner became the central fighting force for the city of Bakhmut, in Ukraine’s east. Those tensions escalated to a new level on Tuesday, when Mr. Prigozhin, in
a series of caustic audio messages, claimed the military command was deliberately withholding supplies to undermine Wagner. The Defense Ministry picked up the gauntlet. In a rare public response that evening, the ministry denied the accusations, and indirectly accused Mr. Prigozhin of aiding the enemy by damaging the unity of Russian forces.
Mr. Prigozhin then escalated the dispute further, calling the ministry’s response “an attempt to hide their crimes.” On Wednesday, he published a graphic video showing rows of dozens of corpses, which he said were Wagner fighters who died because of ammunition shortages. The video could not be independently verified.On Thursday, Mr. Prigozhin lowered the tone as suddenly as he raised it,
claiming on Telegram that the problem has been solved.“We were told that the loading of ammunition has begun,” he said, referring to the warehouses. “From the guys, thank you.”