Yevgeny Prigozhin, Chief of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has turned on Putin and his Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu. Also accusing Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov of targeting and bombing his men killing many of them. He has vowed to go to war against Russian forces that get in his way to face the two Kremlin leaders stating “We will destroy everything that gets in our way.” Putin has taken the threat seriously and ordered forces to protect Moscow. The FSB formerly the KGB has now charged Prigozhin with sedition for “calling for an armed rebellion.” The Kremlin has denied the bombing of Wanger troops. Tension has existed between the Ministry of Defense and Prigozhin for quite a while now. The chief mercenary has accused the office of such things as incompetence, withholding ammunition, and on several occasions shooting on Wagner mercenary forces. The Kremlin has now asked for the mercenary forces to hold Prigozhin while making some of them plead allegiance to Russia by signing documentation.
The Wagner Chief has started to march onto the Russian southern end with his mercenaries. Into the Rostov region where he claims Russian conscripts had stepped away from the blockade and met him and his mercenaries with open arms. Remains to be seen if there will be some kind of settlement between Prigozhin and the Putin government. Although, Russia’s Prosecutor General has been called to brief Putin on repercussions for the now “gone wild” Wagner Chief.
The US and its allies have noted the mercenary chief rhetoric and it was only time that would bring him face to face with the strongman Putin.
- This has certainly placed a dent on Putin’s objectives in winning Ukraine. And it could have been foreseen the shunning of the mercenary group by the Russian military elite. What now? Well, the Ukrainians are being accused by the Russians of taking advantage of the situation! Could this break Russia into civil war or bring an uprising – yes! Perhaps most Russian troops who have witnessed the slaughter of ill-equipped and trained comrades will turn and join forces with the Wagner Group. In either case, it is one strongman against the other. Wagner forces are in Somalia, Northern Africa, and Syria. They may end up regrouping in Russia to support the main force.