 Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigazin, whose troops have done the bulk of the fighting in and around Bakhmut, said in a video message published by his press service on Friday that what the Russian Defense Ministry had described about the current situation in the city was in fact a route which had seen troops flee. He said Ukraine had been able to completely regain control of a crucial supply road that links Bakhmut with the town of Chesaviar and had ceased useful higher ground. The risk, Prigazin said, was that if more ground were to be lost, Ukrainian forces could gradually encircle Bakhmut. The next step after they enter the Berkivka settlement would be gradual encirclement of Bakhmut, the mercenary leader said. Prigazin, who has been openly feuding with the Defense Ministry for months, has repeatedly accused the top brass of sabotaging Wagner's push for Bakhmut and this week accused them of doing too little to protect Bakhmut's flanks. They need to stop lying right away. If you have fled, build new defense lines, Prigazin told the Russian top military brass.