Wagner's Prigozhin disputes report that he offered to betray Russia

The head of the private military group Wagner on Monday rejected a report that he had offered to share with Ukraine the positioning of Russian army troops around Bakhmut in the eastern Ukraine, in exchange for a withdrawal of Kyiv forces from the area.

The Wagner Group was a driving force behind the months-long battle of Russia to take Bakhmut, which cost thousands of lives on both sides and reduced much of the city to rubble. Its founder, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, publicly clashed with Russian military leaders over the fight for the city, accusing them of starving his forces of ammunition.

The Washington Post reported on Sunday that a leaked US intelligence document on the Discord messaging platform said Mr Prigozhin had told contacts in Ukraine's military intelligence leadership that he was prepared to betray the locations of the Russian army around Bakhmut if Kiev agreed to withdraw from the city. A Ukrainian official told the Post that Mr. Prigozhin's offer - made "more than once" - had been rejected.

In an audio statement released Monday by his press service, Mr Prigozhin called the report "speculation" and a "hoax". He suggested that corrupt Russian elites, who he said envied the achievements of his fighters on the front lines in Ukraine and were eager to undermine his reputation, might be responsible.

Mr. Prigozhin mercenaries took the lead in an attempt to capture Bakhmut, the site of the longest and one of the bloodiest battles of the war, while Russian troops controlled the area around the city's flanks. In recent weeks, Mr. Prigozhin has escalated his accusations of incompetence against Russian military leaders.

Despite open feuds with senior Russian officials, Mr. Prigozhin was careful not to criticize President Vladimir V. Putin.

Dmitry S. Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said he would not comment on the Post report, but said "it looks like another hoax".