Now just spinning a bit of yarn here, but this seems like a shrewd piece of political opportunism by Prigozhin.<p>The reality is that since he was denied additional access to Russian prisoners to use as cannon fodder, Wagner has had to commit its more experienced troops into the Bakhmut meat grinder. My money is that in his calculations, the cost of victory there would be a dramatically diminished war-fighting ability of the PMC. Not only that but it might make Russian military leadership look less terrible - definitely not something he wants. However, with a retreat, he can preserve Wagner’s fighting capacity, while skewering the Russian military leadership, with whom he has been very publicly feuding. My $0.02
Will a withdrawal make any difference in on the tactical or strategic level? If there already combat ineffective it may make a PR difference but is unlikely to make a difference on the ground. Don't listen to anyone who claims they know how this war will go and what major turning points are in real time.