The head of the Wagner mercenary group said Russia had promised his fighters enough ammunition to stay in Bakhmut, after threatening to pull out in scathing videos.
Rivalries between Yevgeny Prigozhin and the conventional army came to the surface during the battle for the eastern Ukrainian town, where Wagner is leading the assault.
It comes as Russia has reported increasing drone strikes and sabotage, amid speculations of an expected spring counteroffensive from Ukraine.
"Overnight we received a combat order... they promised to give us all the ammunition and armaments we need to continue the operations" in Bakhmut, Mr Prigozhin said.
His group has been assured "that everything necessary will be provided," he added.
On Friday, he threatened to pull out of Bakhmut on 10 May, in a series of blistering, heavily bleeped-out videos, blaming Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov for "tens of thousands" of Russian casualties.
"Their unprofessionalism is destroying tens of thousands of Russian guys and that is unforgivable," he said at the time.
In one video, Mr Prigozhin was seen showing rows of what he said were dead Wagner fighters.
"They came here as volunteers and they are dying so you can get fat in your wood-panelled offices," he said.
Yesterday, he asked Moscow to let him hand over his positions to Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.
Mr Kadyrov, who has ruled Russia's Muslim-majority republic Chechnya for the last decade-and-a-half, said his men were "ready to move" toward Bakhmut.
Mr Prigozhin has for months accused the conventional army of refusing to deliver ammunition to his men.
Still, the emotive language used in Friday's videos and the personal criticism of the leaders of Russia's campaign in Ukraine were unprecedented.
Today, Mr Prigozhin said Russian General Sergei Surovikin, who is one of Mr Gerasimov's deputies, would oversee Wagner's operations.
"He is the only decorated general that knows how to fight," Mr Prigozhin said in a fresh dig at Russia's other army chiefs.
Mr Surovikin, who has a reputation for ruthlessness praised by Wagner, was named military commander in Ukraine in October.
Three months later, he was replaced by Gerasimov, whom Mr Prigozhin regularly criticises.
Russian troops have battled since last summer to capture Bakhmut, whose political importance now surpasses any strategic value.
Yesterday, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said Russia was concentrating "its greatest efforts" on Bakhmut.
IAEA warns of danger around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
The head of the UN's nuclear power watchdog has warned that the situation around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear station has become "potentially dangerous" as Moscow-installed officials began evacuating people from nearby areas.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), called for measures to ensure the safe operation of Europe's largest nuclear plant as evacuations were under way in the nearby town of Enerhodar.
"The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," Mr Grossi said on the agency's website.
"I'm extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant. We must act now to prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident and its associated consequences for the population and the environment."
Mr Grossi said that while the operating staff of the plant remain at the site, the conditions for the personnel and their families are "increasingly tense".
The Russian-installed governor of the Moscow-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region said on Friday that he had ordered the evacuation of villages close to the front line as shelling had intensified in the area in recent days.
The widely expected Ukrainian spring counter-offensive against Russian forces is viewed as likely to take in the Zaporizhzhia region, around 80% of which is held by Moscow.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said today that the residents are being evacuated in the direction of Berdiansk and Prymorsk on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the reports.
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant days after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of his neighbour in February 2022. Exchanges of fire have frequently occurred near the facility, with each side blaming the other.
Mr Grossi last visited the Zaporizhzhia station, Europe's largest nuclear power installation, in March, as part of efforts to speak to both sides to secure an agreement on safeguards to ensure the plant's safe operation.
He has repeatedly warned of the dangers of military operations around the plant.
The plant is located in the part of that region under Russian control, with many of the staff operating it living in Enerhodar on the south bank of the Dnipro River.
