THE Yevgeny Prigozhin, The founder of the Russian mercenary force Wagner said Thursday that his forces will begin receiving additional supplies of ammunition after a public spat with the top echelons of the Russian military. However, Wagner’s boss makes no mention of the Russian Defense Ministry, with whom he is at odds.

“Today at 06:00 am it was announced that the transfer of ammunition began,” Prigozhin said in a statement posted on Telegram.

“Probably now ‘the train is slipping’. So far everything is on paperbut, as we were told, the key documents have already been signed,” he adds.

“I would like to thank everyone who helped us make this happen. You saved hundreds, maybe thousands of lives of men defending their country, you gave them a chance to live. Their mothers and children will not receive coffins with their bodies.”

“Thank you very much to those who did it in various ways – to those ordinary citizens who did what they could, and to those who were, among others in high office, lobbied and made decisions.”

“And, of course, to those who spilled the last straw to start giving us ammunition. Thank you. Thank you guys.”

The one-time restaurant businessman who once avoided the limelight has taken on a bigger public role since the war in Ukraine began a year ago, with his Wagner paramilitary organization spearheading the months-long battle against Russia for the capture of the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

In recent days his long-running feud with Russian military chiefs has escalated sharply, with Prigozhin claiming officials are refusing to supply Wagner with ammunition because of a personal animosity toward him.

On Tuesday, Prigozhin blamed the Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov for “high treason”, claiming that they are behind the deficiencies.

In an emotionally charged and angry audio message on Tuesday, Prigozhin noted: “The chief of the general staff and the defense minister are giving orders left and right not only not to give Wagner ammunition, but also not to help her with airlifts.” .

In today’s message he thanks those who contributed to climate change. “Thank you very much to those who are acting in various ways — those ordinary citizens who did what they could and those, including those in high office, who lobbied and made decisions (…) to start giving us ammunition. Thank you thank you. Thank you from the children too,” he noted today.

During his annual State of the Nation address on Tuesday, the Russian president Vladimir Putin called for an end to internal rivalries on the Russian side.

“We have to get rid of this – I want to emphasize – from any interdepartmental contradictions, formalities, grudges, misunderstandings and other nonsense,” the Russian president underlined.