Wagner boss Prigozhin’s view of Russia’s war in Ukraine is anything but positive. He warns of defeat and again deals out against the Kremlin.
Moscow/Frankfurt – Criticism and threats towards the Kremlin by Yevgeny Prigozhin are not uncommon. The head of the Wagner mercenary group has repeatedly railed against the Russian government in the past, even threatening Moscow with drastic measures in the course of the fighting for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
In an interview published on Wednesday (May 24), the Wagner boss once again reiterated his criticism of the warfare against Ukraine. In a conversation with the political technologist Konstantin Dolgov, who is close to the Kremlin, he warned of a defeat. Is he Ukraine war backfire for Russia? “We must prepare for a very serious war,” stressed Prigozhin, also known as “Putin’s cook”.
Ukraine-News: Prigozhin apparently fears Russia’s defeat – and calls for new mobilizations
In order for Russia not to lose, it must declare a state of war and switch the economy to the production of ammunition, said the head of the Wagner Group. In the past, Prigozhin had to go to the Kremlin Wladimir Putin demands for more ammunition were made again and again. He also addressed the initiation of new mobilizations. All should only work for the war.
As several media unanimously reported from the interview, Prigozhin took North Korea, ruled by dictator Kim Jong-un, as a model. Russia would have to live like this for several years. Borders have to be closed, young people brought back from abroad and hard work has to be done. “Then we will come to a conclusion,” he explained. North Korea recently emphasized its ties to Russia.
At the same time, Prigozhin recalled the numerous defeats that the Russian armed forces had suffered to date. For example, they “wet their pants” in front of Kiev and in Cherson and then fled. The Wagner chief was referring to the lost battle of Kiev in the first months of the war. At that time, among other things, there was a kilometer-long Russian convoy in front of the capital. The same thing happened to Russia later in Cherson. In the first days of the war, Putin’s troops had captured the city. In November 2022, Ukraine recaptured Kherson. After nine months of Russian occupation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy finally declare the city liberated.
Wagner boss Prigoschin attacks Shoigu and Gerasimov
On the other hand, he again sent sharp criticism towards the Russian Ministry of Defense. Prigozhin believed that the entire Donbass could be conquered today if he had received the 200,000 soldiers requested as reinforcements. The main problem are Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia. It was not until early May that Prigozhin publicly attacked Shoigu in a video while standing in front of corpses.
There are fears in the military leadership that Wagner group could turn against the Russian power apparatus and ultimately march into Moscow, he said in the interview. (mbr with dpa)
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