Russian mercenary chief says his fighters will withdraw from Bakhmut next week

The head of the mercenary group leading Russia's struggling offensive in eastern Ukraine said Friday that his fighters will withdraw from the high-profile battle for Bakhmut because of a lack of military support.

The sudden announcement by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, was the latest dramatic escalation in his feud with Moscow's military leadership. It followed a furious tirade in which he appeared to be surrounded by bodies as he blamed defense chiefs for the heavy losses suffered by his fighters.

Hours after his expletive-laden rant, he said he would hand over control of the grueling Bakhmut offensive to Russian army forces next week because of a shortage of ammunition supplies.