Nationalist Igor Girkin warns of a coup in Russia by Wagner boss Prigozhin. Neither the military nor Putin would intervene in the conflict.
MOSCOW – Former Russian officer and nationalist Igor Girkin has accused mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin of planning a coup against the current Russian leadership. In one video, Girkin claims that in the face of the impending counter-offensive, Prigozhin is playing a coup d’état and constantly violating Russian censorship laws to harm the Russian army and military leadership. If Prigozhin continues to lead the Wagner group, a “mutiny” could be imminent, Girkin warned, according to the US think tank Institute Study of War (ISW).
Is Wagner boss Prigozhin planning a coup against Putin? Nationalist raises allegations
There seems to have been a conflict between Prigozhin and Putin’s military leadership for some time. ISW experts point to Prigozhin’s statement on May 27 that Wagner would later decide whether to fight in Ukraine or in another country. For the ISW experts, the statement means that Prigozhin would like to be able to deploy his mercenaries outside of the formal Russian military command structure.
Prigozhin will “devour” the Russian military, warns nationalist Girkin
According to the ISW, Girkin notes a crucial mistake made by the Russian military leadership: it failed to address the conflict between Prigozhin and the Defense Ministry. A member of Girkin’s Angry Patriots’ Club claimed that the conflict between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Prigozhin was evolving into a conflict between the Russian military and the Wagner forces. Nevertheless, Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is not stepping in, even though Prigozhin’s growing influence could pose a threat to him. Girkin warned that Prigozhin could “devour” Russian military officers to increase his political power.
Prigozhin had repeatedly dealt out against the Russian army leadership. Apparently with impunity, he repeatedly denounced the incompetence of the Russian army leadership – especially Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his chief of staff Valery Gerasimov. He publicly accused the Russian military leadership of incompetence and failure to supply his troops.
Wagner boss begins withdrawal from Bachmut and mocks Putin’s troops
He recently announced a withdrawal from Bakhmut ahead of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, while mocking Russian troops. “If the Department of Defense’s own forces aren’t enough, we have thousands of generals. We just have to gather a battalion of generals, give them all the weapons, and everything will be fine,” Prigozhin reportedly said.
According to Prigoschin, the Russian mercenary group Wagner has begun withdrawing its own troops from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. The city will be completely left to the control of regular Russian armed forces, Prigozhin said in a video. This process will be completed by June 1st. The Wagner troops would withdraw to their camps for rest and preparation for the next sorties. “We are retiring, resting, preparing, and then we will be given new tasks,” said Prigozhin. According to him, two experienced Wagner fighters are to remain in Bakhmut to support the Russian army. The Ukrainian government confirmed the exchange of troops in Bakhmut. (bohy)
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