Mercenary Chief Criticises Russian War Leadership In Comments Full Of Profanity
The leader of Russian paramilitary organisation Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin on Tuesday 08 May made a cryptic but profanity-laced comment about those in charge of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Reuters reported that the remarks risks getting Prigozhin into more trouble with the Kremlin.
“The Kremlin” is the official residence of the President of Russia and has been used as a seat of power for Russian leaders for centuries.
In a long audio complaint about an alleged lack of ammunition for his Wagner fighters in eastern Ukraine, Prigozhin referred to a figure he called “a happy Grandfather” who thought that all was well with the military campaign. He said:
And the happy grandfather thinks that he is good. If he turns out to be right then may God grant everyone health.
But what will the country do, our children, grandchildren who are the future of Russia, and how can we win this war if – by chance, and I’m just speculating here – it turns out that this grandfather is a complete ****head?
The identity of the grandfather figure Prigozhin referred to was unclear, but he has previously poured scorn on Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff.
He has, however, avoided all personal criticism of President Vladimir Putin.
Analysts have said Prigozhin’s volatile outbursts in recent days looks like an attempt to try to deflect blame for a lack of swift battlefield success.
On Friday, he announced that his forces will withdraw from Bakhmut because of the ammunition problem before saying they will stay and then again suggesting they may leave.
In an audio message posted on his Telegram channel on Sunday, Prigozhin said:
Overnight we received a combat order, for the first time in all this time. We have been promised as much ammunition and weapons as we need to continue further operations.
We have been promised that everything needed to prevent the enemy from cutting us off [from supplies] will be deployed on the flank.
The battle for Bakhmut has been the most intense of the conflict, costing thousands of lives on both sides in months of grinding warfare.
Russia sees Bakhmut as a stepping stone to capturing other cities in Ukraine’s Donbas region still beyond its control.
More: Pindula News
