A political scientist in the Russian establishment bluntly stated that Prigozhin’s self-presentation as Wagner’s “commander” “directly affects the planning and management of the combat operations of the offensive units.”
The view that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s men, of the Wagner mercenary group, are “expendable” so that he himself can be blamed for the unfavorable developments on the front and his presidential ambitions derailed, says the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), on the occasion of a scathing text against Prigozhin by a man in the Russian establishment, the Russian political scientist, Alexei Mukin.
Commenting on statements by Prigozhin, who sarcastically said he plans to run for the office of president of Ukraine in 2024, Mukhin said on his Telegram channel that Russian public opinion began to interpret Prigozhin’s statement as an announcement that he would run , not of course for Ukrainian, but actually for the Russian presidential electionwhich are also scheduled for 2024.
The political scientist also raised the rhetorical question of whether Prigozhin briefed the Russian president Vladimir Putin about his “presidential ambitions,” ISW commented on Monday. Prigozhin is the financier and head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which operates on the front lines in eastern Ukraine. Mukhin bluntly stated that Prigozhin’s self-presentation as “commander” of the private military company Wagner “it directly affects planning and management of the combat operations of the attack units”.
“Mukhin’s attack on Prigozhin is consistent with ISW’s March 12 assessment that the Russian Ministry of Defense can ‘consume’ deliberately Wagner forces in Bahamut in part to derail Prigozhin’s political ambitions,” the institute said.
“Mukhin’s accusations also support ISW’s assessment that the Kremlin and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be attempting to frame Prigozhin for slow rate of advance in Bahamut and for high casualties among Wagner’s mercenaries.’
Mukhin’s remarks demonstrate how the Kremlin perceives Prigozhin’s controversial statements and his threat to Putin’s regime. ISW has previously seen harsh criticism of Prigozhin from military bloggers, but Mukhin’s statement is notable because of his association with the Kremlin-linked Valdai Discussion Club.
It is noted that the leader of Wagner has repeatedly attacked the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, for delays in the delivery of ammunition that lead to the death of his men.
Source :Skai
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