Russia's Wagner mercenary group founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said the Kremlin's justifications for invading Ukraine were based on lies.

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said the Kremlin’s justifications for invading Ukraine were based on lies.

  • tl;dr bot@lemmy.worldBEnglish
    211·
    1 year ago

    tl;dr:

    The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group appears to be threatening an armed rebellion against Russia’s military leadership, after accusing it of deliberately shelling his forces on Friday. Prigozhin published a shaky video on Friday that showed a shattered group of trees and a burning trench, claiming it was a Wagner camp shelled by Russian troops and alleging many Wagner troops were killed. Gen. Sergey Surovikin, a senior Russian general who has been linked with Prigozhin, gave a video address calling on Wagner fighters to stop their rebellion and turn back. Wagner chief says Russian invasion based on lies The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said the Kremlin’s justifications for its invasion of Ukraine are based on lies, in another extraordinary attack on the country’s military and political leadership. Prigozhin lambasted Russia’s military leadership for the huge casualties its troops have suffered.

    I am a bot in training. Feedback

  • DreamyDolphin@kbin.social
    1·
    1 year ago

    I wonder how much of this stems from that announcement a few weeks back that Wagner was going to be subordinated to the MoD? I haven’t heard anything about it since it was announced (since my main source of information was that front page of the internet which just descended into its own civil war…) From vague recollection, Prigozhin said he was refusing to sign any contracts formalising such arrangements but Putin was backing the defence minister Shoigu on this one, to presumably try and rein in Wagner a bit and keep the game of musical chairs going as Putin’s underlings all vied for influence without anyone being the clear heir apparent.

    Looks like it may have backfired spectacularly if so, because Prigozhin had to have known it would have meant his end if he’d accepted Shoigu’s control, and, as Sun-Tzu warns, a cornered animal (or army) with no way out will fight to the death.

  • MiddleWeigh@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    This is crazy. Perhaps a moment of self reflection? I am very interested to see where this goes. Somethings gotta give. I’d feel, in my bones, that I was dying for nothing, if I was a Russian soldier. Then I look around and realize everyone feels the same and we have guns and military equipment. Maybe it’ll spark something larger.

      • MiddleWeigh@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        Sorry if thats how it came across.

        I realize this guy is just another warlord, trying to save his own ass, but the people around him and below him are just people who don’t want to die, but need some kind of reassurance, even if its based on a bad person doing self serving things, sometimes that’s all it takes in a situation that sucks, to tip a domino. One potential opening.

        I’m not really sure how to unromanticize life tbh. We’re talking about based human nature here. Whether you like to admit it or not, is largely dictated by emotions. It could go any number of ways.

        I am not there.

  • TrickyCamel@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I don’t imagine another fascist being on the throne helps, is there a positive outcome from this? Maybe it will greatly hinder their war effort?

    • CoderKat@kbin.social
      2·
      1 year ago

      I think the biggest gain is simply that this guy and likely any other Putin replacement would end the war in Ukraine, because they know it’s a waste of lives, money, and reputation. It’s hard to be worse than Putin at this point. And heck, even with Putin still on the “throne”, it could give Putin the excuse his cowardly ass needs to back out of the war.

  • tinwhiskers@kbin.social
    11·
    1 year ago

    My wild speculation is that Prigozhin marches in with token resistance, arrests Shoigu and reveals to Putin the deceit from the MoD, before taking his place at Putin’s side. He’s avoided being critical of Putin and says lies from the MoD are the reason for the war. Shoigu is the scapegoat.