![]() Recent independent Russian media interviews with officials indicate that "the reason Prigozhin and all of these ultranationalists are allowed to operate is because the Kremlin really thinks that they're able to control them," Stepanenko said.Īnd there's been some movement in that space. ![]() He gives hope that one day you can come back to power, one day can be heard, or one day you can impress enough to regain your position."īut even if Putin can't really punish Prigozhin right now, an important part of why Russian leadership may tolerate outbursts by ultranationalists like Prigozhin is that the Kremlin feels like these leaders are not independent of it and that they require support to function, giving it leverage. "Putin's approach is different in the sense that he gives hope. "I think that Putin's way of leadership is he never really wants someone to fully hate him," she said. "Putin does not want to upset the ultranationalist community," Stepanenko said. As the Wagner Group's head, he has promoted its culture of extreme violence as symbolized in a sledgehammer, a reference to the execution method for Wagner deserters. Prigozhin is a leading figure in the Russian ultranationalist network, which is a source of recruits and has a firm grip on key parts of the online information space in Russia. "These ultranationalists, such as Prigozhin, serve as a source of recruitment for force generation efforts for Putin," who desperately wants to avoid another mobilization, which previously led to substantial discontent within Russian society, she explained. Putin can't risk upsetting his ultranationalist allies Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS ![]() He also mocked the Russian victory parade, and he seemingly hinted that Putin, though the mercenary boss doesn't criticize him by name, might not be a kind "grandfather" but rather a "complete asshole." He later said he wasn't talking about Putin.įounder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement as he stand next to Wagner fighters in an undisclosed location in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in this still image taken from video released May 5, 2023. When his forces did not receive the promised supplies and ammunition, Prigozhin posted a video threatening to release details of Russia's military failings if he didn't get ammo. That threat hasn't slowed him down or curbed his rants though. Prigozhin said he was threatened with treason over his assertions that Wagner forces would pull out of Bakhmut. More recently, as the problems persisted for Wagner, Prigozhin threatened to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut, a bold threat that he later walked back after purportedly securing a promise to deliver the necessary ammunition from Russia's defense ministry.īeyond potentially jeopardizing operations around Bakhmut, the Institute for the Study of War wrote in a recent update on the war in Ukraine that "chain of command problems" caused by irregular commanders like Prigozhin seems to be "having a significant impact on the Russian military's ability to conduct coherent theater-wide operations." The situation got so bad for Wagner at one point that expert observers speculated that the Russian military was purposefully decimating the group. He blames them for the "shell hunger," as he calls the lack of ammunition and essential supplies that he says is costing the lives of the men in his company. Under this leadership, support for Wagner has drastically declined, infuriating Prigozhin. Valery Gerasimov, Surovikin's replacement and the latest commander of Russian operations in Ukraine. Prigozhin, a financier for the notorious paramilitary company and long-time Putin ally, has posted videos showing piles of Wagner corpses as he blasts Russian military leadership, specifically Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Gen. Sergei Surovikin, an infamous Russian leader pushed by ultranationalists like Prigozhin, in January, the Russian defense ministry retook control. But for months now, the mercenary forces, including Wagner's army of convicts, have been bogged down in the battle for Bakhmut, a horrific high-casualty fight.ĭuring the intense fighting in Bakhmut, where the mercenaries have suffered tremendous losses, simmering tensions between the Russian defense ministry and the Wagner boss have boiled over. Wagner's forces have played a crucial role in Russian combat operations in Ukraine, which allowed Prigozhin to expand the group at the expense of Russian military resources and push command decisions to Putin directly, often bypassing the defense ministry. Petersburg, Russia, on December 24, 2022. Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin attends the funeral of his fighters at the Beloostrovskoye cemetery outside St. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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