Wagner Group chief and a known ally of Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Thursday, revealed a humiliating battlefield setback for Russia.

What Happened: The head of the private mercenary said a Russian brigade had run away from the area near Ukraine's Bakhmut without any fight, posing a risk of encirclement by the Ukrainian forces to his troops.

"The situation on the western flanks is developing according to the worst of the predicted scenarios," Prigozhin complained in an audio message released Thursday, reported CNN.