Russia’s Wagner group signals it will stay in Bakhmut after threat to quit

Yevgeny Prigozhin drops plans to withdraw from devastated city after receiving promises of extra arms

• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group appears to have ditched plans to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine after receiving promises overnight they would get all the arms needed to capture the devastated city.

Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on Friday that his fighters, who have spearheaded the months-long assault on Bakhmut, would pull out because he said his men had been starved of ammunition and had suffered “useless and unjustified” losses as a result.