Russian Military Accused of Misleading Putin on Ukraine War by Wagner Chief

The chief of mercenary group Wagner accused Moscow's top brass of deceiving Russians about the course of Ukraine's offensive and pointed to Kyiv's progress on the battlefield. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Defense Ministry of not telling the truth and losing territory to Ukrainian troops. Kyiv has reported modest gains, retaking eight settlements in the first cautious steps of a fightback against entrenched Russian positions. Putin insisted again that Ukrainian troops had sustained "serious losses" and said that there was a "certain lull" on the front.