Reuters was unable to verify his assertion and there was no
immediate comment from the defence ministry.
Wagner forces have been spearheading the assault on Bakhmut, one
of the bloodiest and longest battles of the war, something
Moscow calls "a special military operation," with some support
from the regular army in recent months.
Prigozhin, who has repeatedly accused Russia's top military
brass of not doing enough to back his men, asked the defence
ministry to do all it could to protect Bakhmut's flanks after
what he alleged was a withdrawal.
"Unfortunately, units of the Russian Defence Ministry have
withdrawn up to 570 metres to the north of Bakhmut, exposing our
flanks," Prigozhin said in a voice message.
"I am appealing to the top leadership of the Ministry of Defence
- publicly - because my letters are not being read," Prigozhin
said.
"Please do not give up the flanks," he said, addressing Russian
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of
the General Staff.
Wagner says it has taken most of the shattered city - albeit at
enormous human cost. But Ukraine says its forces have retaken
territory around Bakhmut in recent days.
Moscow sees Bakhmut, a city of about 70,000 before the war, as a
potential stepping stone towards capturing the rest of the
eastern industrial Donbas region bordering Russia.
(Reporting by Reuters reporters; Writing by Caleb Davis; Editing
by Andrew Osborn)
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