Russia's private Wagner Group, which is leading the assault on Bakhmut in Ukraine and has been active in Africa, could soon cease to exist, founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in video remarks to a blogger that were released on Friday.
It was not immediately clear when Mr Prigozhin had spoken and how serious he was being. Earlier this week, he withdrew comments about the front line he said had been a joke.
Mr Prigozhin has complained repeatedly about how Russia is conducting the war in Ukraine. He often says the regular armed forces are not giving his men the ammunition they need and sometimes accuses the top brass of betrayal.
“Now, with regard to the need in general for shells at the front, what we want — today we are coming to the point where Wagner is ending,” he told Russian war blogger Semyon Pegov.
“Wagner, in a short period of time, will cease to exist. We will become history. Nothing to worry about, things like this happen.”
Mr Pegov posted the clip on his Telegram channel. Wagner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Known for his combative style and ironic sense of humour, Mr Prigozhin said on Thursday that he had been joking when he said his forces would stop shelling Bakhmut to allow Ukrainian forces to show the city to US journalists.
He said this week his troops were suffering heavy casualties due to a lack of support from Moscow.
Last week, he expressed concern about a counter-attack by well-equipped Ukrainian troops at Bakhmut.
Wagner has in the past sent soldiers to fight in Syria and in conflicts across Africa.
In January, the US formally designated the Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organisation, freezing its American assets for helping Russia's military in the Ukraine war.
