Prigozhin disagrees with Putin
Wagner boss gives reasons for “special operation” lie
06/23/2023, 7:20 p.m
The head of the Wagner mercenaries complained that the Russian army had withdrawn in southern and eastern Ukraine. In doing so, he directly contradicts a success story from Putin. Prigozhin also doubts the official reasons for the attack on the neighboring country.
In his verbal attacks on the Russian military leadership, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin contradicted the official justification for the attack on Ukraine for the first time. The Defense Ministry is trying to deceive President Vladimir Putin and the public, the head of the Wagner mercenary group said in a video released this morning. The fact that Ukraine is aggressing and attacking Russia together with NATO is a lie. “The special operation was started for other reasons,” said Prigozhin, who has repeatedly sharply criticized Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“The war was necessary for Shoigu to become a marshal and get a second hero’s medal.” In addition, the Russian elite wanted to seize substantial assets. “The war was not necessary to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine,” the businessman said.
In doing so, Prigozhin indirectly contradicted Putin. The head of the Kremlin is considered a patron of Prigozhin, who for his part has always avoided open criticism of Putin. Putin has said the invasion, dubbed a “special military operation,” since February 24 last year aims to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine. He also described the war as a struggle for existence against the West, which aims to destroy Russia. This account is rejected by Ukraine and numerous western and other states. As usual, the Ministry and the Presidential Office in Moscow did not comment on Prigozhin’s statements.
“Russian army withdraws”
The Wagner boss also commented on what was happening at the front and accused the army of withdrawing troops from the south and east of Ukraine in view of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. “On the battlefield (…) the Russian army is retreating on the Zaporizhia and Kherson fronts,” said Prigozhin, adding: “The armed forces of Ukraine are pushing back the Russian army.”
“We wash ourselves in blood. Nobody brings reinforcements. What they tell us is a bitter deception,” Prigozhin continued, directly contradicting Putin’s statements, who spoke of “catastrophic” losses on the part of the enemy and a lull in the Ukrainian side’s counteroffensive had. The Kremlin declared the Cherson and Zaporizhia regions in southern Ukraine to be annexed last year, but admits it does not have full control over them.
Ukrainian breakthrough at Robotyne?
Neither Ukraine nor the Defense Ministry in Moscow commented on Prigozhin’s claims about what was happening at the front. However, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar also said on Ukrainian television that Kiev’s armed forces were advancing in the south. Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian forces had made a first breakthrough to the south at Robotyne. According to Russian Telegram channels, the Ukrainian offensive forces on NATO armored vehicles “broke through our trenches.” The US Bradley tank is said to have been involved. The statements cannot yet be verified.
The Prigozhin mercenaries, recruited in large part from Russian prisons, have played a central role in the Russian fighting in Ukraine. The fighters of the 62-year-old businessman with formerly good Kremlin connections played a particularly prominent role in the lengthy and bloody capture of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
In recent months, Prigozhin – frustrated by supply problems and a lack of support from Moscow – has become one of the most vehement critics of Russia’s military leadership via his Telegram channel.