The dispute begins with the capture of Soledar in January. Prigoyine accuses the Russian army of not paying enough tribute to its men. “They keep trying to steal our victories. »
Soon it is “the monstrous Moscow bureaucracy machine” that he questions. On February 21, he targeted Defense Minister Choïgou and Chief of Staff Guerassimov for the first time. “[Ils]willfully refuse to supply ammunition to us. […] They even banned us from supplying shovels for digging trenches! He speaks of “high treason”.
Prigoyine, who has no access to Russian television, relies on his two million followers. “I want every Russian to say, ‘Give Wagner ammo.’ And boasts that the documents were signed two days later. “They saved the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people defending their country. Their mothers and children will not receive a coffin with their bodies. »
And the same litany begins again in Bakhmout, who is almost surrounded. “If this continues, we will no longer be able to hold the conquered areas. And if Wagner withdraws from Bakhmout, the whole front will collapse. On March 11, he reported on the progress at the front from the roof of a building in Bakhmout. And says he’s ready to ask the Supreme Commander of the Armies for forgiveness. He then praises the exceptional skills of “remarkable military commanders”. Without naming a name.
Shoigu, Gerasimov, where’s the damn ammo?
Yevgeny Prigozhin
When a law is published on March 15 that punishes anyone who criticizes those fighting in Ukraine, he quips, “Okay… our soldiers are holy!” But we should all be allowed to see the chief of staff and the secretary of defense criticize who have multiplied the mistakes. When the Ministry of Defense claimed on April 13 that Bakhmout was surrounded, it denied it.
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The issue of ammo returns keeps coming up. In front of a mountain of corpses, he defies his enemies: “Shoigu, Gerassimov, where is this damn ammunition?” These guys would be alive if the shortage was solved! And you, you sat there, you motherfuckers, you think you have the right to command their lives […] from your padded offices. He threatens to leave Bakhmout. A fight in Moscow. Prigoyine seems to appreciate his new interlocutor, Sergei Zurovikin, “the only highly decorated general who knows how to fight.”
Today we celebrate the victory of our ancestors, but the current army does not win.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, May 9
But he still does not receive what he was promised. “The Ministry of Defense is threatening to charge us with treason if we leave the Bakhmout front while a regular army unit has cowardly given up a position on stupid and criminal orders from the command!” […] No soldier should die because of the stupidity of their leaders. […] Ukrainians attack flanks at Bakhmout and form up for counter-offensive at Zaporijjia. This counter-offensive will be played on the field, not on TV! Let’s fight ! »
This statement falls on National Day, May 9: “Today we celebrate the victory of our ancestors, but the current army does not win any.” […] Shoigu and Gerasimov hide the reality of the war from the supreme commander. […] Happy grandpa thinks everything is fine. If so, God bless us. But how will we win this war and what will happen to Russia if it works? […] That grandpa is a complete asshole? Western journalists argue about the identity of “grandpa”: Putin?
Saturday, June 24, 7:30 am: Prigoyine is filmed at the Rostov Rear Base, a few kilometers from the Sea of Azov. AFP / © Handout
Another attack on May 14, when the Washington Post spread the rumor that he had offered his services to the Ukrainian secret service. “Of course the people of Rublevka [banlieue chic de Moscou où vit Choïgou] can throw as much shit on me as they want. […] On the ground, I see that the air forces Shoigu is talking about are not supporting our troops. »
Finally, on May 20, he announced the taking of Bakhmout. The operation lasted 224 days. […] It was never just Wagner here, we fought not only against the Ukrainian army, but also against the Russian bureaucracy. Due to the leadership of the Russian army, our losses were five times greater. One day history will judge and they will pay for their actions. »
Two hours after Prigoyine’s intervention, Putin turns to the Russians, denouncing “a stab in the back” and threatening: “The crackdown on the insurgents will be tough.” /AP/SIPA / © /AP/SIPA
On May 24, the hero of Bachmout conducts a long interview with a political scientist close to the Kremlin, Konstantin Dolgov. Not only does he criticize the decline of corrupt elites, he also threatens to march on Moscow. Everything is here!
In Kiev we shit our pants and retired.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, May 24
Excerpts: “We walked clumsily with our boots.” […] Looking for Nazis! In Kiev we shit our pants and retired. Further back, in Kherson, we shit ourselves and withdrew. Somehow it didn’t work. The special operation was created with the aim of “denazification” and we made Ukraine a world-renowned state. “Demilitarization”? Initially they had 500 tanks; today there are 5,000. They had 20,000 fighters; today there are 400,000. […] Ukrainians have a high level of organization, a high level of education, a high level of intelligence, they have different weapons. They use every system, whether Soviet or NATO […]. They are doing everything to achieve the ultimate goal, as we did in the Great Patriotic War. »
There are now tens of thousands of parents who have lost a son. There will certainly be hundreds of thousands.
Yevgeny Prigozhin
And he continues his war against Moscow. “Look, Shoigu’s son-in-law [un coach bodybuildé qui publie des selfies au volant de voitures de sport], he takes it easy! His daughter renovated fortresses in Kronstadt. Did you make money from it? Spend it on damn ammo! When their kids slather themselves in cream, post it on the internet, and when normal people have kids arriving in tatters and a mother is crying for her son… But in the end it will feel like 1917! There are now tens of thousands of parents who have lost a son. There will certainly be hundreds of thousands. And it will all end with a Saint-Barthélemy. I recommend the elite round up their damn kids and send them off to war. If you go to her funeral, people will say: Everything is fine now. »
We are in a situation where we can screw up Russia.
Yevgeny Prigozhin
He dreams: “If, as I requested, we got 200 thousand people, we would shift the front line by 50-150 kilometers and take control of Donbass.” We are a full-fledged army. Why couldn’t we? For intrigues, for fear that a developing structure will begin to dictate the terms of coming to Moscow with tanks! The main problem is Shoigu and Gerassimov. If Mizintsev were Minister of Defense today and Surovikin’s Chief of Staff, things would be normal. »
He is gripped by a veritable war fever. “We are in a situation where we can screw up Russia. We must therefore declare martial law, announce new waves of mobilization and transfer everyone to ammunition production. We must stop living, we must stop building new roads and new infrastructure, and we must only work for war. Russia needs to live like North Korea, close the borders, stop acting timidly, repatriate expatriate teenagers. Work hard. Then we come to a conclusion. »
One day Russia will wake up and find that Crimea has been offered to Ukraine
Yevgeny Prigozhin, June 22
And Bachmout and Wagner? “The Wagner group lost 20,000 men, half of whom had been recruited from prisons […]. I recruited 50,000 prisoners, 20% of whom died in combat. […] Wagner completely liberated Artemovsk [nom russe de Bakhmout]35,000 Wagner fighters took part in the battle. We will turn the city over to the Department of Defense by June 1st and return our men to our bases […]. If they fail to take our positions, then there are some who should commit suicide. »
On May 25, Prigojine withdrew his troops from Bakhmout. “More missions are waiting for us,” he announces. Which? Shoigu ordered Wagner’s “volunteer squad” to enlist in the regular army before July 1st. This appears to be the final phase. “I will not sign a contract with a man who is unable to properly control military formations,” Prigozhin replies.
On June 22, he plays the birds of bad omen: “The Ukrainian armed forces are advancing. Many cities […] were lost for lack of weapons and ammunition […]. All of this has been covered up. […] One day Russia will wake up and find that Crimea has been handed over to Ukraine. »
The war was wanted by the oligarchs, by the clan that rules Russia.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, June 23
The next day he claims Ukrainian forces are pushing everywhere. Even in Bakhmout. From this he draws a lesson: “This war was necessary for a group of bastards looking for promotion… In order for Shoigu to rise in rank […]. The war was not necessary to protect Russian citizens or to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine. The war was wanted by the oligarchs, by the clan that rules Russia. »
Missile attacks on his camps will prompt him to cross the Rubicon. “We must stop those who bear military responsibility for this country! This is the beginning of his “March for Justice”. On Monday, June 26, after his about-face in front of Moscow, he declared: “The goal was not to allow the destruction of the Wagner group.” […] not to overthrow power.” Incidentally, he believes that his breakthrough revealed “serious security problems in Russia”.