If the head of the Wagner mercenary group had its way, Russia would have taken Ukraine long ago. He claims that he wants to stand for election there.
Bakhmut – Yegveni Prigozhin would like to stand for election soon and become president. Does that mean that Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon have competition? No, because Prigozhin wants to run for office in Ukraine. His mercenary troop Wagner also fights there. According to their boss, the troops need 10,000 tons of ammunition per month for the battle for Bakhmut. In a video released on Saturday, Prigozhin emphatically demanded the delivery of artillery shells and cartridges. The video allegedly shows him on the roof of a house in the largely destroyed city – about 1.2 kilometers from the administrative center, which is held by Ukrainian troops. Prigozhin announced: “We will win.”
Ukraine war: Prigozhin wants to compete against Zelenskyj
Many destroyed houses and streets could be seen in the video – comparatively rare shots from the city, which once had 70,000 inhabitants. Only a few thousand live there today. The Wagner boss assured that no one in Moscow should have concerns that he had political ambitions. Therefore, the required quantities of ammunition should be delivered to him without reservations. Russia’s billionaires are also ready for this expenditure. He put the monthly costs at half a billion US dollars (about 470 million euros).
Prigozhin admitted in the video that corruption was widespread in his homeland. But he would “take his own corrupt connections with him to the grave”. Then the 61-year-old lined up for “an important announcement”. Under audible gunfire, he announced that he would stand as a candidate in next year’s presidential election – not in Russia, as was sometimes assumed, but “in Ukraine”. He will compete against incumbent Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his predecessor Petro Poroshenko. The Wagner boss is notorious for making fun of his opponents.
Ukraine War: Selenskyj and army want to hold Bakhmut as long as possible
Putin might like the announcement, if it is meant seriously. In the past there have always been rumors of power struggles in the Kremlin. The protagonists of these conflicts were Vladimir Putin, as well as Yegeveni Prigozhin and “Putin’s bloodhound” Ramzan Kadyrov. Knowing one of his supposed counterparts in Ukraine should be an advantage for the Kremlin ruler.
Zelenskyy wants to hold the strategically important city of Bakhmut at all costs. The New York Times recently reported, citing Ukrainian commanders, that the military agrees with their president and that they want to hold the positions in the almost completely destroyed city for as long as possible – so that the enemy is weakened in future battles.
Bachmut has been contested since late summer. The city is the main part of the line of defense between Siversk and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, established after the Russian conquest of Sieverodonetsk and Lysychansk. If successful, the way to the major cities of Slovjansk and Kramatorsk opened up for the Russian troops. This brought a complete conquest of the Donetsk region closer. (dpa/lp)
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