In a new Telegram video, Yevgeny Prigozhin lashes out at the Russian army leadership. And the Wagner boss contradicts an authoritative narrative by Vladimir Putin.
Munich/Moscow – Ukraine literally provoked the war with Russia. It is an idiosyncratic tale by Moscow ruler Vladimir Putin to justify his illegal attack on the western neighbor. It is a story that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has now publicly contradicted. And decided.
Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner boss contradicts Moscow ruler Vladimir Putin
The mercenary entrepreneur’s criticism was paired with the next attack on Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. In a video clip, Prigozhin reported on the immense losses suffered by the Russian army in the Ukraine war.
“Ukraine and NATO did not want to attack Russia before the war,” Prigozhin told Telegram. Before February 24, 2022, there had been no “crazy aggression” by Kyiv. In the past few months, however, Putin has repeatedly claimed that the Russian Federation is being threatened by the government in Kiev and by the Western defense alliance.
“No one destroyed 60 Leopard tanks, this is complete nonsense. On the battlefield (…) the Russian army is retreating on the Zaporizhia and Kherson fronts,” he said, adding: “We wash ourselves in blood. Nobody brings reinforcements. What they tell us is a bitter deception.”
Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner boss accuses Sergei Shoigu of deception
He directly accuses Shoigu of allegedly falsifying reports to Putin. The war was only instigated so that “a few creatures can celebrate themselves,” said Prigozhin, referring to the Ministry of Defense. All of this is happening at the cost of “the lives of tens of thousands of our boys.”
We wash ourselves in blood. Nobody brings reinforcements. What they tell us is a bitter deception.
Losses – caused by kamikaze drones, for example – are also considered high in the West, while the Ukrainian counter-offensive is underway. Soldiers from both sides unashamedly share videos of themselves killing each other on Telegram and Twitter. For example, a clip from a body cam is circulating that is supposed to show how a fighter from a Ukrainian special forces unit shoots four enemy soldiers at close range while storming a Russian trench. The recordings cannot be independently verified, they at least appear authentic.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces may have made their first major breakthrough through Russia’s main line of defense. Russian Telegram channels reported that Ukrainian soldiers “broke through our trenches” near Robotyne south of Orikhiv in Zaporizhia Oblast. There is talk of “heavy battles”. Ukraine also used US Bradley tanks, allegedly “several” Ukrainian vehicles are burning. This information cannot be independently verified.
Ukraine counter-offensive: Kiev troops are probably advancing on the Kachowka reservoir
If the Ukrainian troops completely capture the approximately 50-kilometer-long front section between the Kakhovka reservoir and Orikhiv in the south of the country, they could advance to the small town of Vasylivka (about 13,000 inhabitants) via the M18 trunk road. The place is right on the reservoir. From here, the allegedly poorly secured regional road P37 runs to Enerhodar, where the Zaporizhia nuclear plant is located, which is occupied by the Russians.
According to maps from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the US think tank AEI’s Critical Threats Project, the Russian fortifications near Vasylivka are very strong. If the Ukrainian army can still break through here, the way to Enerhodar and the nuclear power plant via the P37 would be free. (pm)
#wash #blood