A leading crony of Vladimir Putin has urged him to stop the war now and tell the world Russia has achieved the aims of its ‘special military operation’, including decimating ‘a large part of the active male population of Ukraine’.
Yevgeny Prigozhin – head of the Wagner mercenary army deployed by the Kremlin – posted a rambling statement online last night in which he made the surprise call for the war to stop.
He claimed Russia had taken a ‘fat chunk’ of Ukrainian territory, and that the most strategic route for its armed forces – who have suffered severe losses – would be to defend existing gains.
The warmonger, who has been tipped as posing a potential political threat to Putin, also warned that the Russian people may seek a ‘scapegoat’ for military failures as the brutal war drags on.
This could lead to revolutionary fervour as seen in 1917 – yet Prigozhin insisted that ‘nothing threatened’ the ‘supreme power of Russia’, evidently referring to Putin.
Yevgeny Prigozhin – a top crony of Vladimir Putin and head of the Wagner mercenary army deployed by the Kremlin – posted a rambling statement calling for the war to stop
Prighozin admitted Ukraine could launch a counter offensive and break Russian lines
Prigozhin’s statement marks the first time a senior Putin henchman, who is also directly involved in fighting on the ground, has publicly advised that the Kremlin halt the war.
His surprise call for the country to declare an end to hostilities appears to acknowledge the weaknesses among the Kremlin’s forces, and a loss of appetite for war among the Russian people.
Russia had succeeded in killing a large number of Ukrainian men and prompting others to leave the country, he claimed, failing to mention the greater numbers of his own people who have perished.
‘For the authorities and society as a whole, it is today necessary to put a solid full stop on the special military operation,’ said Prigozhin who is nicknamed Putin’s ‘chef’ because he was once in charge of Kremlin banquets.
‘The ideal option is to announce the end of the special military operation, to inform everyone that Russia has achieved the results that it planned, and in a sense we have actually achieved them.
Prigozhin is believed to harbour political ambitions and is seen as aiming to take over an existing political party called Just Russia
‘We have ground down a huge number of fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and we can report to ourselves that the tasks of the special military operation have been completed.’
He said in the article: ‘Theoretically, Russia has already [made a point] by destroying a large part of the active male population of Ukraine, and by intimidating another part of it, which fled to Europe.
‘Russia cut off the Sea of Azov and a large piece of the Black Sea, seized a fat piece of Ukrainian territory and created a land corridor to the Crimea.
‘Now there is only one thing left: to firmly gain a foothold, to claw in those territories that already exist.’
He admitted Ukraine could launch a counter offensive and break Russian lines.
‘In this case, in the [Russian] army, which for years considered itself one of the best armies in the world, decadent moods may begin at first, and then the situation degrades.’
This happened in historic wars with Finland and Japan, as well as in the First World War when revolution came in 1917’s ‘tragic events’, he said.
‘This can lead to global changes in Russian society,’ he said.
An aerial view of damaged residential buildings as result of shelling in Kharkiv earlier this year
‘The people are already looking for someone to blame for the fact that we are not the strongest army in the world, and in this situation they will look for ‘the scapegoat’.’
These are likely to be members of Russia’s ‘deep state’, he said, people who would ‘betray the interests of Russia’ for their own gain.
‘At the same time, nothing threatens the supreme power of Russia, since it is a symbol of national unity and resistance to the West,’ he wrote.
A ‘painful’ Ukrainian counteroffensive could play into Russia’s hands, he added.
‘I summarise – the Ukrainians are ready to attack.
‘We are ready to repel the blow.
‘The best scenario for healing Russia so that it rallies together and becomes the strongest state is the offensive of the armed forces of Ukraine, in which no… negotiations will be possible.
‘And either the armed forces of Ukraine will be defeated in a fair fight, or Russia will lick its wounds, build up muscles and tear its rivals again in a fair fight.’
The option of agreements with Ukraine to end the war ‘impossible’, he said.
Prigozhin is believed to harbour political ambitions and is seen as aiming to take over an existing political party called Just Russia.
The warlord’s latest statement appears to be an example of him flexing his political muscles, and he has regularly been outspoken throughout the war about the Kremlin’s tactics.
It comes in stark contrast to what analysts are describing as a sign that the Russian government is planning for a lengthy conflict.
A new law brought in yesterday which prevents some Russian men from dodging the draft suggests Moscow anticipates to maximise it’s supply of troops as the war drags on, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said today.
Putin reportedly signed a bill yesterday to create a digital call-up system, meaning authorities would be able to serve draft papers over the internet rather than by letter.
The measure, reported to be coming into place later this year, would remove one way of avoiding military duties.
‘With individuals’ call-up data now digitally linked to other state-provided online services, it is likely that the authorities will punish draft-dodgers by automatically limiting employment rights and restricting foreign travel,’ the MoD said.
‘Russia is, for now, prioritising a drive to recruit extra volunteer troops. However, the measure is highly likely part of a longer-term approach to provide personnel as Russia anticipates a lengthy conflict in Ukraine.’
What is the Wagner Group?
Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner is a mercenary group headed up by Russian oligarch and close Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The group has for years acted as Putin’s personal band of enforcers, though it maintains connections with Russia’s foreign military intelligence agency, the GRU.
Founded in 2014 by a sinister former lieutenant colonel of Russia’s ‘Spetsnaz’ special forces, Dmitry Utkin, Wagner got straight to work following the annexation of Crimea, arming and organising separatist groups in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
Wagner group insignia is pictured
In the eight years between Crimea’s annexation and all-out war in Ukraine, Wagner mercs have been deployed abroad to covertly further Russian interests.
They were implicated in the Russian intervention in Syria where they helped to prop up the Assad regime, and went on to operate in countries throughout Africa including Mali, Central African Republic, Mozambique and Sudan.
Their goals differ in each region, but assignments almost invariably involve bolstering the military forces of the Kremlin’s preferred regimes by delivering weapons and training, and providing additional security services.
In return, Russia gains access to natural resources, investment opportunities and geopolitical influence.
Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) is the chief financier of the Wagner group and is a close ally of Russian President Putin (right)
An integral part of most Wagner assignments is gaining control over the local population and elements hostile to the regime – something in which the mercenaries have proved particularly ruthless.
The mercenaries have garnered a reputation for violence and brutality, achieving their goals by any means necessary.
The Wagner group is now deployed in a fighting capacity alongside regular Russian army soldiers in Ukraine, and has been credited with achieving much of Moscow’s success on the frontlines.
In autumn 2022, Prigozhin embarked on a mass recruitment drive in Russian prisons, signing up hardened criminals to swell his ranks and deploy them en-masse in Ukraine on suicidal missions to gain ground by using ‘human wave’ tactics.
As of March 2023, the Wagner group is receiving less support from the Russian military, as Prigozhin has a poor relationship with Russian armed forces commander Valery Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
But his fighters are still heavily involved in combat operations across the frontlines in Ukraine.
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