In a video message released on Friday, Prigozhin blasted the Russian army leadership and vowed to pull his troops out of Bakhmut, the epicentre of the fighting in Ukraine, if they did not receive more material support. In an audio message released on Sunday, the owner and financier of the notorious mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, withdrew his threat to pull his troops out of the Bakhmut area, after securing a pledge from the government. Wagner’s troops have launched extremely deadly waves of assault against the city, which has been transformed into a field of ruins and is, according to Moscow, more than 90% controlled by Russian forces. Will Russia lose Bakhmut without Wagner ?