The destruction of Ukraine? An excuse. “We came to Ukraine like tongues. We walked across the territory in our big boots looking for Nazis. We hit as hard as we could. We advanced to kyiv, pissed each other off and retreated. » Its militarization? Complete failure. “Ukraine today has one of the strongest armies in the world. » The Future of “Special Military Operations”? Darkness. “We are in a situation where we can simply lose Russia. »
The person speaking thus does more than question the official Russian discourse on the situation in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigogine is not far from committing a les-majesté crime by mocking Vladimir Putin’s stated war aims. In light of his past statements and willingly sensational, the businessman passed a milestone on May 24 during this interview he gave to various media outlets under his control.
Until now, militant leader Wagner has focused his attacks on the military elite — sometimes in flowery terms, of course, but never going beyond Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Its reference is A “Dumb Grandpa” It was mysterious enough to put Russia’s future in jeopardy, and even a few weeks ago its destination was in doubt.
Once very quiet
What is Evgueni Prigojine seeking with this permanent one-upmanship? The former bandit – who served nine years in prison at the end of the Soviet Union – guided his life by making choice a core value, denying for years his association with Wagner. His business was to guess and anticipate the leader’s desires, whether it was to send his mercenaries to Syria or Africa, or to fill the Internet with favorable opinions produced in his “troll factories” without undermining his authority.
Much has been said about the political aspirations of this 61-year-old man. Prigozhin has already tried to get his hands on the nationalist party Rodina. Today, the openness he claims is a communication tool, and it is highly significant that it is not shared by other players on the political scene. The clay on his forehead, sometimes in front of the corpses of his fallen men, and every video of him showing his feet, reminds us of the intelligence of members of the elite, their privileges, their children who take advantage of Dubai. Sun or Maldives, Russian men die in front.
You should read 71.89% in this article. The following is for subscribers only.
“Web specialist. Infuriatingly humble coffee ninja. Wannabe zombie advocate. Subtly charming tv fanatic. Avid social media scholar.”