Vladimir Putin led Russia to disastrous failure with his invasion of Ukraine, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said in an astonishing outburst.
Instead of demilitarizing Ukraine — Russia’s main war goal — Putin’s failed strategy has led Kiev to amass “one of the strongest armies in the world” through massive Western supplies, Yevgeny Prigozhin said.
Wagner’s chief was once considered a close ally and confidant of the Russian tyrant and nicknamed Putin’s “chief.” But in the latest of his increasingly frequent outbursts, Prigozhin has scathingly criticized his war strategy.
He then went on to warn of an impending “revolution” in Russia unless changes were made by the Kremlin leadership.
In an astonishing attack on military leaders, he said Russia would reinstate the death penalty and the guilty – he named Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Defense Staff Valery Gerasimov as responsible for the war crisis – would be “hanged in Red Square” .
Prigozhin blamed both Shoigu and Gerasimov for the loss of more men in Bakhmut than in the entire ten-year Soviet war in Afghanistan from 1979-89, which ultimately led to the collapse of the USSR.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin warned of impending ‘revolution’ unless changes are made by Kremlin leadership
Prigozhin was once considered a close ally and confidant of Vladimir Putin (pictured yesterday in the Kremlin), but in his latest outburst has delivered scathing criticism of the war strategy.
“So the denazification of Ukraine, which we announced – we made Ukraine a nation known to everyone all over the world,” he said mocking Putin’s twisted intent to go to war.
“They are like Greeks at their peak, or Romans.”
He told interviewer Konstantin Dolgov – a prominent pro-war blogger: ‘We legitimized Ukraine, it became a country known to everyone.
“As for demilitarization… [this is] indeed a painful issue.
“So if they had 500 tanks at the beginning, now they have 5,000. If there were 20,000 men who could fight, now there are 400,000. So how exactly did we demilitarize it?
‘Quite the opposite! We’ve militarized it to the brim.
“I think the Ukrainians are one of the strongest armies in the world today. They have a high level of organization, training, military intelligence.
“They have a variety of ammunition, and what’s more, they can switch between any system — Soviet, NATO, whatever — with the same success. They take their losses philosophically.
“All they do is achieve the highest goal, just like we did during the Great Patriotic War [Second World War].’
Prigozhin’s armed force of convicts and volunteers – dubbed Wagner Private Military Company – has claimed to have taken Bakhmut, but at a devastating toll.
Ukrainian tankers drive along the road to their positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 23
Prigozhin said Russia would reinstate the death penalty and hang the guilty, whom he named as Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu (right) and Defense Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov (left)
He admitted that his force in Bakhmut had lost 10,000 prisoners released to fight for Putin, and the same number of volunteers. Many experts estimate the Wagner losses to be higher.
Prigozhin then claimed that Ukraine had lost 50,000 with 70,000 wounded.
‘During the [special military operation] I got 50,000 prisoners out of prison,” he said. Twenty percent of them died.’
In addition to his latest outbursts, Prigozhin said he considered Shoigu and Gerasimov to be guilty, not least because they failed to supply Wagner with ammunition and weapons.
“Without a doubt, the death penalty will be reintroduced because we are at war,” he said.
And the guilty will be punished – at least they will be hanged on Red Square.’
He denounced the comfortable elites in Russia who continued to live normally while cannon fodder troops at the front lost their lives in great numbers.
Their sons should be forced into war, he said.
He mentioned Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whose daughter and son-in-law are flaunting their wealth on social media.
While last year it emerged that the stepdaughter of Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov owns a luxury £4 million apartment in Kensington, London.
Mr. Prigozhin said: “Everything could end like in 1917, with a revolution, when first the soldiers rise up and then their loved ones.
“The children of the elite smear themselves with creams and show off on the Internet, while children of ordinary people come home in zinc [coffins] torn to pieces.
“I advise the elite of the Russian Federation to collect its youth and send it to war. They live fat, carefree lives, their villas should be stormed by ordinary people armed with pitchforks.
“How can Shoigu’s son-in-law go to the United Arab Emirates and shake his buttocks?”
Prigozhin warned of the real threat of Russia losing the war.
Prigozhin’s armed force of convicts and volunteers – dubbed Wagner Private Military Company – has claimed to have taken Bakhmut, but at a devastating toll. Pictured: Members of the Wagner group wave a Russian national flag on the roof of a damaged building in Bakhmut
Prigozhin said he saw Putin’s top commanders Shoigu (left) and Gerasimov (right) as guilty, not least for not supplying Wagner with ammunition and weapons
The warlord said he now “hardly believes” Russia can see through one of the most optimistic scenarios of holding on to the territory it now has.
The “pessimistic scenario,” he said, is that Ukraine “can restore the 2014 borders, they will try to attack Crimea, destroy the Crimean bridge and cut off supply routes.”
“And most likely the scenario will not be good for us,” he said.
Russia ‘must prepare for a heavy war. What should we do – not to lose Russia? Because today we are in a state where we can lose Russia.
“We must introduce martial law. We must provoke new waves of mobilization. We need to switch everyone to weapons production.
“Stop building skyscrapers, new roads, new infrastructure – and work only for the war. We have to live for a few years like in North Korea and close the borders.’
Analysts also suggest that the head of Russia’s private army could be the man to overthrow Putin by opposing him in next year’s presidential election.
The Kremlin is increasingly concerned about Prigozhin’s criticism and his popularity.
During the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, Putin emphatically excluded the Wagner group from his speech praising the efforts of Russian soldiers.
But without the soldiers of the paramilitary group, the Russian campaign in Ukraine would collapse.