Russia did not face an imminent security threat to justify its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary outfit, said in a bombshell video posted on social media Friday. “The Armed Forces of Ukraine were not going to attack Russia with the NATO bloc,” Prigozhin explained in the half-hour tirade released by his press service. “The Russian Defense Ministry is deceiving the public and the president,” he added.
That seems to me more a way in for him in the ministry of Defense. Scapegoating current defense minister and replacing him…
Why would he want to? Merc work has given him more money than god, and he has political power too, being the bug in Putin’s ear for so long and directly benefiting from his rise to despotism.
One doesn’t preclude the other.
But since he thinks the war in Ukraine is unjustified, he would advise to stop it.
I think you are giving waaay too much credit. I would be very happy if that will be the case, but I think the “now we have this and we gotta finish it” narrative is more likely, unfortunately.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/23/wagner-chief-accuses-russias-military-of-attack-and-says-evil-leadership-must-be-stopped
Looks like Putin didn’t take the bait, and was pretty upset against Prigozhin.