Wagner mercenary chief mocks Putin following embarrassing one-tank Victory Day parade

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has reportedly issued his biggest criticism of Vladimir Putin yet, calling him a “complete son of a bitch” and “lucky grandfather” in his most recent video released at the Kremlin.

Yevgeny Prigozhin declared last week that he would withdraw his private army from the brutal battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, complaining that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and army chief Valery Gerasimov were not supplying his troops with ammunition. He later rescinded the withdrawal order.

But yesterday the Wagner leader released a scathing video ostensibly aimed at the Russian president, denouncing his troops’ lack of ammunition and threatening to strangle those who prevent shells from reaching the front line.

“They’re cashing in [artillery shells] in warehouses – why no one knows.

“Instead of spending a grenade to kill the enemy and save our soldiers’ lives, they let our soldiers die – and the ‘happy grandfather’ thinks this is good for him.

“If he turns out to be right, then God bless everyone…but how are we going to win the war if, by chance—and I’m just speculating—this grandfather turns out to be a complete jerk?

Prigozhin concluded: ‘The grenades give freedom. And if they don’t give freedom with the grenades…if they stick to them, then we’ll have to shove them up their asses first and then throw them in jail.’

While the Wagner chief did not name Putin, he never shied away from criticism of other leading Russian defense figures, suggesting that the diatribe was almost certainly aimed at the president.

It came as Putin presided over May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow’s Red Square to mark the Red Army’s victory over the Nazis in World War II.

In previous years the parade has been formidable, with all kinds of Russian tanks, missiles, armored vehicles and other impressive machines rolling past the Kremlin to display Moscow’s military prowess.

But after 14 months of war in Ukraine, Russian forces were able to muster just one T-34 tank for yesterday’s parade, with all the other tanks smoldering on the battlefield or requisitioned for deployment.

The World War II relic sputtered through Red Square with black exhaust smoke as a striking encapsulation of Russia’s military achievements across the border.

In a speech attended by dozens of uniformed soldiers, military officials and leaders of former Soviet countries, Putin claimed Russia wants peace while accusing the “Western elite” of waging a “real war” against its invading forces.

It came just hours after another barrage of cruise missiles hit several locations in Ukraine.

“Civilization is once again at a decisive turning point. A real war has been unleashed against our motherland,” he said in reference to his ongoing invasion, which the Kremlin says is a proxy conflict with the West.

Putin welcomed soldiers fighting in Ukraine who were present at the parade and compared his invasion to the Soviet fight against Nazi Germany in World War II – a false narrative that nevertheless resonated with Russian nationalists.

‘To Russia! To our brave armed forces! To victory!’ Putin concluded in his speech.

Prigozhin, meanwhile, maintained his position close to the front lines in Ukraine, making his contempt for the Russian Defense Ministry and army generals painfully clear in recent weeks.

In a profanity video released last week, the mercenary went on a rampage against Defense Minister Shoigu and General Gerasimov.

He was filmed standing over the corpses of dozens of slain Wagner warriors – all of whom he claimed had died in bitter fighting in fervent attempts to capture Bakhmut earlier that day.

“These are the Wagner PMC [Private Military Company] fighters who died today – the blood is still fresh… Film them all!’

Addressing Putin-appointed Shoigu and Gerasimov, who are in charge of military operations, he said, “Listen to me now, you ******* *****. These are someone’s ******* fathers and someone’s sons.

“And those scum that don’t give us ammunition will eat their entrails in hell. Mother*******.’

Yesterday, Prigozhin released another video alongside his thinly veiled jibe against Putin, claiming that an entire Russian army brigade had abandoned their posts near Bakhmut, leaving its mercenaries behind on the front lines.

He also threatened to withdraw his troops from the battle – the second time he had done so in a week – despite allegedly being told he would be tried for treason if he followed his warning.

‘Yesterday we received a military order containing a number of important matters… iLeaving our positions would be considered treason.

“If there’s no ammunition, we’ll leave. And we will ask who is the traitor to the motherland here.’

Prigozhin continued: “Today one of the Ministry of Defense detachments ran away from one of the flanks.

“They all ran away, exposing a front line almost 1.5 miles deep.”

Prigozhin’s claims of Russian desertion were supported by a statement from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, which confirmed that the Russian 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps had abandoned a strategic position near Bakhmut, resulting in hundreds of Wagner casualties .