A prominent confidant of Vladimir Putin urged him to stop the war now and tell the world that Russia had achieved the goals of its “special military operation,” including wiping out “a significant portion of Ukraine’s active male population.”
Yevgeny Prigozhin — the commander of Wagner’s army of mercenaries deployed by the Kremlin — posted a random statement online last night making a surprising call to stop the war.
He claimed that Russia had taken a “large piece” of Ukrainian territory, and that the most strategic path for its armed forces – which had suffered heavy losses – was to defend the current gains.
The warmonger, said to be a potential political threat to Putin, also warned that the Russian people might look for a ‘scapegoat’ for military failures as the brutal war continues.
This could lead to revolutionary fervor as we saw in 1917 – yet nothing threatened the ‘supreme power of Russia’, Prigozhin insisted, an apparent reference to Putin.
Yevgeny Prigozhin – a senior confidant of Vladimir Putin and commander of the army of Wagner mercenaries deployed by the Kremlin – released a massive manifesto calling for an end to the war.
Prigozhin’s statement is the first time a senior Putin henchman, who is also directly involved in the fighting on the ground, has advised the Kremlin to stop the war.
His sudden call for the country to declare an end to hostilities seems to acknowledge the weaknesses among the Kremlin forces, and the loss of appetite for war among the Russian people.
He claimed that Russia succeeded in killing a large number of Ukrainian men and drove others to leave the country, and he did not mention the large numbers of his people who died.
“For the authorities and for society as a whole, today it is necessary to put a complete end to the special military operation,” said Prigozhin, who was nicknamed Putin’s “chef” because he was in charge of the Kremlin banquets.
The ideal option would be to announce the end of the special military operation, to inform everyone that Russia has achieved the results it planned and, in a sense, we have already achieved them.
“We have stopped a significant number of militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and we can report to ourselves that the tasks of the special military operation have been completed.”
“In theory, Russia has already made (a point) by destroying a large part of the active male population of Ukraine, and terrorizing another part of it, who fled to Europe,” he said in the article.
Prigozhin acknowledged that Ukraine could launch a counterattack and break the Russian lines
Russia cut off the Sea of u200bu200bAzov and a large piece of the Black Sea, captured a fat piece of Ukrainian land and created a land corridor to Crimea.
“Now there is only one thing left: to firmly gain a foothold, a claw in those areas that already exist.”
He admitted that Ukraine could launch a counterattack and break the Russian lines.
In this case, in the (Russian) army, which for years has considered itself one of the best in the world, deteriorating moods may begin at first, and then the situation will deteriorate.
This, he said, happened in historic wars with Finland and Japan, as well as in World War I when revolution came in the “tragic events” of 1917.
“This can lead to global changes in Russian society,” he said.
Prigozhin is believed to have political ambitions and is seen as aiming to take over an existing political party called Only Russia.
“People are already looking for someone to blame for the fact that we are not the strongest army in the world, in which case they will be looking for a ‘scapegoat’.”
It is possible, he said, that these are members of Russia’s “deep state,” people who “betray Russia’s interests” for their own gain.
“At the same time, nothing threatens the supreme power of Russia, because it is a symbol of national unity and resistance to the West,” he wrote.
He added that the “painful” Ukrainian counterattack could serve Russia.
I summarize – the Ukrainians are ready to attack.
We are ready to repel the blow.
The best scenario to heal Russia until it bands together and becomes the most powerful country is the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during which no negotiations will be possible.
“And either Ukraine’s Armed Forces will be defeated in a fair fight, or Russia will lick its wounds, build muscle and tear its opponents apart again in a fair fight.”
He said that the option of agreements with Ukraine to end the war is “impossible”.
Prigozhin is believed to have political ambitions and is seen as aiming to take over an existing political party called Only Russia.
The warlord’s latest statement appears to be an example of his flexing his political muscles, and he has been regularly outspoken throughout the war about the Kremlin’s tactics.
This comes in stark contrast to what analysts describe as an indication that the Russian government is planning a protracted conflict.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said today that a new law passed yesterday that bars some Russian men from draft evasion indicates Moscow expects to maximize its supply of troops as the war continues.
Putin reportedly signed a bill yesterday to create a digital pager system, which means authorities will be able to submit draft papers online instead of by letter.
The measure, which will reportedly go into effect later this year, would remove one way to avoid military duties.
“With individuals’ call-up data now digitally linked to other online services provided by the state, authorities are more likely to punish draft evaders by automatically limiting employment rights and restricting travel abroad,” the MoD said.
Russia, for now, is prioritizing a campaign to recruit more volunteers. However, it is very likely that this measure is part of a long-term approach to providing personnel as Russia expects a protracted conflict in Ukraine.
What is the Wagner Group?
The Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner is a mercenary group headed by Russian oligarch and close Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The group operated for years as Putin’s personal band of enforcers, although it did maintain contacts with Russia’s foreign military intelligence agency, the GRU.
Founded in 2014 by the sinister former lieutenant colonel of Russia’s Spetsnaz special forces, Dmitry Utkin, Wagner got down to business right after the annexation of Crimea, arming and organizing separatist groups in Ukraine’s Donbass region.
The Wagner Group badge is depicted
In the eight years between the annexation of Crimea and the all-out war in Ukraine, Wagner vehicles were deployed abroad to covertly advance Russian interests.
They got caught up in the Russian intervention in Syria where they helped prop up the Assad regime, and they continue to operate in countries across Africa including Mali, Central African Republic, Mozambique, and Sudan.
Their goals vary in each region, but appointments almost invariably involve strengthening the military forces of favored Kremlin regimes by delivering weapons and training, and providing additional security services.
In exchange, Russia gains access to natural resources, investment opportunities, and geopolitical influence.
Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) is the main financier of the Wagner Group and a close ally of Russian President Putin (right)
Integral to most of Wagner’s missions is the control of the local population and elements hostile to the regime—to which the mercenaries prove particularly ruthless.
Mercenaries have a reputation for violence and brutality, achieving their goals by any means necessary.
Now deployed in a fighting capacity alongside regular Russian Army soldiers in Ukraine, the Wagner Group has been credited with much of Moscow’s success on the front lines.
In the fall of 2022, Prigozhin embarks on a mass recruitment campaign in Russian prisons, signing hardened criminals to swell his ranks and deploying them en masse across Ukraine on suicide missions to gain territory using ‘human wave’ tactics.
As of March 2023, the Wagner Group receives less support from the Russian military, because Prigozhin has poor relations with the commander of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
But his fighters are still heavily involved in front-line combat operations in Ukraine.
