Wagner Corporation founder Yevgeny Prigozhin stepped up his angry attacks on the Russian Defense Ministry, accusing Kremlin officials of deliberately preventing his fighters from arresting Bakhmut because he was jealous of his military successes.
The mercenary is known as “Putin’s chef” said authorities were choosing to disarm Wagner, which has slowed progress in the bloody battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. “The goal is simple,” says Prigozhin: “PMC fisherman should not marry Bakhmut.”
His comment, made in an interview with several Russian media outlets on Wednesday, is the latest development in an escalating war of words between Prigozhin and the official Russian armed forces.
“Our actions today of course cause envy,” said Prigozhin, referring to jealousy among Russian military facilities. “So because we have successes, while in other places the successes are not what they want to be, rather—remember what Grandpa Lenin said: we are all Everyone thinks we all have good intentions, but instead, they make it so. that all people live equally but poor.
Prigozhin went on to say that the whole of Russia “supported” Wagner after the fall of Russia soledar—a salt mining town near Bakhmut—a victory he previously claimed was “only” achieved by his mercenaries despite claims to the contrary by the Russian Ministry of Defense. After that success, Prigozhin declared, the Kremlin’s attitude became: “Wagner should not take Bakhmut under any circumstances.”
He said his mercenaries have since been deprived of the ammunition that brought “hunger of shells” to the war, but that “Wagner will take Bakhmut anyway.” He says this will be done “not because Prigozhin wants it,” but rather: “Fuck, we have to prove to the world that the Russians can do it!”
After attacking a series of other military targets in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged: “Whatever it is, take something damn it!”
The mercenary commander also complained about being deprived of the right to use a military phone. “Leave me on the phone! Put a wiretap in there,” said Prigozhin. “Know what I’m talking about, call me once in a while and say, ‘Prigozhin, you bastard, get out of here,’ and hang up. At least like this. Cut it off for what?”
He said that receiving abuse from Department of Defense commanders would be better than the current communication blackout, which could put his life in jeopardy. “Did my pilot not warn the anti-aircraft to knock me down because I was flying?” Prigozhing asked. “You shouldn’t be playing in kindergarten. War is very serious business.”
Interphase tensions have been brewing between Wagner and Russian President Vladimir Putin for months. Prigozhin’s latest outburst occurred after he banned from joining the Russian military command in the first day of this month. He also accused Kremlin commanders of “betray the homeland” and tried to “kill” Wagner through supply cuts.
The battle for complete control of Bakhmut is still raging. On Thursday, Russia’s puppet leader in the Donetsk region Denis Pushilin told state media TASS that the situation in Bakhmut “remains complicated, difficult” and that he did not “see that there were any preconditions there that would cause the enemy to simply withdraw units”.
