Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and Russian Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov get rid of their arch-rival Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group mercenary army, in Bachmut. The think tank Institute for the Study of War writes it. According to analysts, Prigozhin will be the scapegoat for Bachmut’s debacle.
According to the institute, President Putin is alarmed by Prigozhin’s political ambitions and has given Shoygu and Gerasimov the go-ahead to weaken the Bachmoet Wagner Group. Earlier, Prigozhin accused the army command of withholding ammunition from his troops. Prigozhin’s representative who wanted to file a complaint at army headquarters was refused entry. Clear signals according to the ISW, which also writes that Shoigu and Gerasimov have prevented the Wagner Group from recruiting another 40,000 convicted criminals in prisons.
Revenge on Wagner
According to the ISW, Russia’s military leadership is taking revenge on Prigozhin for the conflict he himself started in May 2022. Prigozhin is said to have persuaded Putin to take Bachmut if he had access to the Russian army’s ammunition stockpile. Putin then leaned heavily on Prigozhin and his army because he did not want to declare an unpopular mobilization. Also, he would be very disappointed in the Russian army for not taking Kiev.
Slander
Another reason Prigozhion gained the hate in military circles was his public smear campaign against the Russian Defense Ministry and military leadership. The ISW assumes alarm bells have gone off in Putin’s mind over Prigozhin’s political ambitions and his criticisms of the war effort in mid-October. According to Kremlin sources, Putin interpreted Prigozhin’s criticisms and his animosity towards Shoygu and Gerasimov (both very loyal to Putin) as a form of disloyalty.
Shogo
The ISW interprets various events as signaling that Putin has returned power to the defense ministry: for example, the ministry has reportedly begun recruiting in prisons to the detriment of Prigozhin’s recruiting efforts. Putin also allowed Shoigu to connect with French, Turkish, British and American colleagues. This gave Shoigu authority and status far beyond Prigozhin’s reach. Gerasimov also had similar conversations with his British and American colleagues.
Significant of the collapse of Prigozhin and his Wagnerians is that on 13 January the Russian Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for the capture of Soledar. Wagner’s efforts were not even mentioned, nor did Putin himself credit Prigozhin for taking Soledar. In an unusual January 15 television interview, Putin attributed the victory to Russia’s Defense Ministry and General Staff.
Scapegoat
According to analysts, Putin is preparing for a possible debacle in Bachmut and is putting Prigozhin in the starting blocks as a scapegoat. Putin could use Wagner’s high casualties, and reports of low morale and war crimes, to divert attention from problems within the Russian military. Nice by-catch for Putin: the high losses among Wagner’s convicts and mercenaries do not cause as much social outrage as the losses among involuntarily mobilized Russian boys.
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Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
