Russian war criminal and ex-convict Yevgeniy Prigozhin, leader of the infamous Russian mercenary force Wagner Group, after a brief photo op in the decimated center of Bakhmut, is withdrawing his forces before Ukraine can encircle and destroy them. In the meantime, he's issuing dire warnings that Russia faces another revolution over Russia's failures in Ukraine and over resentment of the oligarchs that dictator Vladimir Putin relies on as his power base. From the Washington Post:
"In a lengthy interview with Konstantin Dolgov, a political operative and pro-war blogger, Prigozhin, the founder and leader of the Wagner mercenary group, also asserted that the war has backfired spectacularly by failing to 'demilitarize' Ukraine, one of President Vladimir Putin’s stated aims of the invasion. He also called for totalitarian policies.
'We are in a situation where we can simply lose Russia,' Prigozhin said, using an expletive to hammer his point. 'We must introduce martial law. We unfortunately … must announce new waves of mobilization; we must put everyone who is capable to work on increasing the production of ammunition,' he said. 'Russia needs to live like North Korea for a few years, so to say, close the borders … and work hard.'” (our emphasis)
The vast majority of people in authoritarian Russia would find themselves behind bars for suggesting that Putin's "special military operation" in Ukraine has failed in its mission, and Prigozhin may still end up there. He's treading on sensitive ground for Putin when he attacks the oligarchs that prop up Putin's regime and siphon money to his pockets:
"Citing public anger at the lavish lifestyles of Russia’s rich and powerful, Prigozhin warned that their homes could be stormed by people with 'pitchforks.' He singled out Ksenia Shoigu, the daughter of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was spotted vacationing in Dubai with her fiancé, Alexei Stolyarov, a fitness blogger.
'The children of the elite shut their traps at best, and some allow themselves a public, fat, carefree life,' Prigozhin said in the interview, which was released Wednesday on video. 'This division might end as in 1917, with a revolution — when first the soldiers rise up, and then their loved ones follow.'” (our emphasis)
We can't imagine that imagery sits well with the Kremlin, and particularly the Russian military command. Prigozhin, himself an oligarch, has avoided punishment until now, but his rhetoric toward Putin and the Kremlin has gotten to the point where one side has to break. We imagine that Prigozhin will be broken and end up in a Russian prison camp (where he was recruiting Wagner fighters) long before the "revolution" that he forecasts happens.
(photo: War criminal Prigozhin. via BBC)
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