An American newspaper reveals an “offer” made by the Wagner commander to Ukraine and qualitative French equipment on its way to Kiev 15/5/2023 – | Last updated: 5/15/2023 10:49 AM (Mecca time) An American newspaper revealed that the Ukrainian intelligence service rejected an offer made by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the commander of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group, which has been leading the fiercest battles in the city of Bakhmut for months, while France pledged to provide tanks and armored vehicles for the Ukrainian army. Yesterday, Sunday, the Washington Post reported, quoting what it said were leaked US intelligence documents, that Prigozhin offered in early January to reveal the locations of Russian forces to the Ukrainian government, in the event that they withdrew from areas surrounding Bakhmut. The newspaper said that the offer of Prigozhin – a businessman who is called Putin's chef – came through his contacts with the Ukrainian intelligence service, and the newspaper added that Ukraine rejected the offer. According to Reuters, a White House spokesman refused to comment on the report, which was based on classified US documents, which were leaked to the Discord group chat platform. Prigozhin's criticism comes at a time when Moscow is awaiting the Ukrainian counterattack, and in light of repeated demands from the Wagner leader to supply ammunition to his fighters in Bakhmut. The Wagner commander had threatened to withdraw his forces from the city of Bakhmut on the tenth of this month, if the Russian Ministry of Defense did not provide them with the ammunition they needed, directing obscene words to the leaders of the Ministry of Defense in his country. [embedded content] gains in Bakhmut In a matter related to the development of the battles in Bakhmut, Kiev said that the Ukrainian forces had made new gains in the surrounding area. "Our units captured more than 10 enemy positions in the north and south of Bakhmut, and cleared a forest area near Ivanivsk from the enemy," wrote Hana Malyar, the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, on the Telegram application on Sunday. She added that Russian soldiers were captured during the operation, and indicated that the Ukrainian forces continue to advance, "despite all the difficulties, this is the moment when one meter equals 10 kilometers in terms of the complexity of the task." Bakhmut has been witnessing a joint attack by the Russian army and Wagner for months, and the city's population before the war was 70,000, but fierce fighting over months destroyed most of it. Bombing in Donetsk Meanwhile, the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine came under heavy artillery fire on Sunday, Russia's state-run Tass news agency reported, citing local authorities. The city, located directly behind the front lines in eastern Ukraine, was hit by hundreds of shells from multiple rocket launchers, according to Tass. On Sunday, officials in Kiev said the bombing of Donetsk came after Russia fired Iranian-made cruise missiles and suicide drones (kamikaze) at Ukrainian targets overnight, triggering air raid sirens across the country. The Ukrainian Air Force said that the drones and missiles were launched from aircraft and warships in the Black Sea, and the Ukrainian army said that the Ukrainian defenses shot down 25 drones, most of them Iranian Shahed, and 3 cruise missiles. French AMX-10RC light tank during previous exercises (Getty Images – Archives) French armored vehicles and tanks Meanwhile, Paris announced today, Monday, the provision of dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks to the Ukrainian army, as well as training soldiers to use them, in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the Elysee Palace. In a joint statement issued by the two presidents, Macron and Zelensky also called for new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. "In the coming weeks, France will train several Ukrainian battalions and equip them with dozens of AMX-10RC armored vehicles and light tanks," the statement said, adding that Paris "is also focusing its efforts on supporting Ukrainian air defense capabilities." ". "With each visit to Paris, Ukraine's defensive and offensive capabilities expand," Zelensky said – in a tweet while heading to Villacoublay Air Base, southwest of Paris, adding that "relations with Europe are getting stronger, and pressure on Russia is increasing." The Ukrainian President arrived on Sunday evening at the Velakublay Air Base on an unannounced visit to France, which is part of a European tour that has included Italy and Germany so far.

An American newspaper revealed that the Ukrainian intelligence service had rejected an offer made by the Russian semi-military Wagner Group, which has been leading for months the fiercest battles in the city of Bakhmut, while France pledged to provide qualitative weapons to the Ukrainian army.

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