Yevgeny Prigozhin, the supplier of assassins and rapists Putin needs to advance the war in Ukraine

Almost 11 months after the start of the war in Ukraine, the role played by the Wagner group in conflict is a topic under study for multiple countries and organizations. According to numerous sources close to the front, the latest victory of the Russian army in Soledar, a town near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, was conquered by mercenaries of the paramilitary group which operates as the Kremlin’s secret militia.

In this panorama of mystery there is no one more camouflaged than Yevgeny Prigozhin, the businessman and ex-con who founded the Wagner Group, but who for He has denied any connection to the group for a long time.and that he even sued journalists for libel when they mentioned their ties to the mysterious organization.

These days, however, Prigozhin, one of Russia’s most powerful men and known as “Putin’s chef,” has no qualms about exposing himself as the group’s leader and speaking out about the things he’s done for Moscow.

Last September he acknowledged having founded it and also admitted that he had been present in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. He also admitted to interfering with his election in the US election troll farmbefore the 2016 election in which Donald Trump was elected president.

In recent days he has insisted that the capture of Soledar was carried out “solely” by his mercenaries, even though reports from the Russian Defense Ministry indicate that the city is attacked by airborne troopswithout mentioning the Wagner group.

Recruitment of criminals and assassins

In a video broadcast on social media, Prigozhin spares no advice, making use of his particular style. “Don’t drink too much, don’t do drugs, don’t rape women,” she says.

In the images he can be seen among twenty ex-convicts enlisted in his paramilitary group, who have returned to the country after six months on the Ukrainian front. The businessman sometimes personally took outlaw fighters from Russian prisons, including convicted murderers.

“Prigozhin prefers to recruit this type of individuals,” says Olga Romanova, director of the prisoners’ rights NGO Russian behind barsin an interview with Radio France International (RFI).

“He has recruited many into his ranks murderers, rapists, to many people who have committed serious crimes. He’s recruiting them like crazy, because these people aren’tor are you afraid to killyou don’t need to teach them to kill, they already have that experience,” adds Romanova. The entrepreneur would have it recruited between 20,000 and 40,000 inmates in Russian prisons.

To those who got out of the Ukrainian front alive, Prigozhin He promised them forgiveness clear your criminal record or an amnesty. However, the former is achieved by decision of the Duma, and the latter depends on the judicial bodies. As for the amnesty, only the president can grant it.

Supplier of “cannon fodder”

While the story of how Yevgeny Prigozhin managed to amass so much power in Putin’s Russia has a lot of room to cover, its current importance to the Kremlin is quite transparent.

“Right now, Putin needs Prigozhin as a manpower recruiter, like supplier of “cannon fodder”. This is extremely important at this stage of the war. That’s why he’s allowed to become a public figure,” says Andrei Kolesnikov, an expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

According to this specialist, the Kremlin is somehow “outsourcing” some functions attributed to the legislative and judicial powers. This dubious character is given state functions, even if he is not an official, which is against the law, ”Kolesnikov points out.

“Prigozhin competes with the government army and wants to prove to the Russian army’s supreme command that its army model is more effective than the official one,” Andrei Kolesnikov also underlines. In order not to lose its position and the funding that comes with it “,it must constantly demonstrate its effectiveness“.

The Institute for the Study of War noted in its January 9 update that Yevgeny Prigozhin is still “using reports of the successes of the Wagner Group in Soledar to strengthen the Wagner Group’s reputation as an effective fighting force”.

Prigozhin is known for his brutal methods, as well as his harsh criticism of the Russian military command and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Together with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, he even managed to remove from office Alexander Lapin, responsible for the disastrous withdrawal from Kharkiv.

However, this colonel general was recently appointed chief of staff of the Russian Ground Forces. General Surovikine, who had offered him support, he was demoted instead.

The risk of a fall from grace

“Prigozhin’s actions they went haywire in Putin’s eyes“says Olga Romanova. According to her, the founder of Wagner crossed some red lines in his public statements before the eyes of the Kremlin.

In particular, Prigozhin supported some mercenaries who posted a video addressing the Chief of Army Staff General Guerassimov, insulting him. “We have nothing to fight with. We need ammunition to make everything fly,” they complain, while insulting the senior officer.

In an audio message published by the press service of his Concord group, Prigozhin confirms that Wagner’s men recorded the video and takes the opportunity to attack the Russian General Staff once again: “When you’re sitting in a hot office, you don’t feel the problems from the front.”

Is Prigozhin trying to bolster his political stature in Russia through military success in Ukraine? It’s hard to say, but in any case it is Chances are you will find people who get in your way.according to Andrei Kolesnikov.

“Many people are horrified that this character is attracting attention. Prigozhin is gaining influence thanks to his domineering efficiency, an efficiency Putin desperately needs right now,” explains Kiolesnikov.

“Should clan fighting escalate and Prigozhin enters a race for other ambitions, if he aspires to be anything more than a ‘military-oligarchic troll’, it is uncertain whether he will emerge victorious. Vladimir Putin will do everything so that Prigozhin does not become a politician”, concludes the Carnegie researcher.

Source: RFI