Ukraine’s Advances Near Bakhmut Expose Rifts in Russian Forces (www.nytimes.com)

Putin of Russia.

Cracks appeared elsewhere, too, as the Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, whose paramilitary forces have fought alongside Wagner in Ukraine, criticized Mr.

Prigozhin, his longtime ally, in a video broadside.

Some prominent Russian prowar bloggers warned that the animosity was beginning to affect battlefield performance at a crucial moment.

There is no single command that is respected without exception, wrote one blogger, Anastasia Kashevarova. We have a mass of people at the front, and no one can reach an agreement with each other.

The enemy, she added, is using this.

The flurry of posts, videos and statements also exposed tensions and rifts among Russias disparate forces in Ukraine.