What’s Prigozhin’s Role In Russia Amidst Speculations Of A Wagner Coup Against Putin?

Prigozhin’s Actions Unfold Rapidly

Prigozhin, a longtime ally of President Putin, has enjoyed success and influence under his leadership, initially as a wealthy entrepreneur and later as the head of a mercenary group.

His Wagner fighters have suffered heavy casualties during the protracted and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to seize Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

Prigozhin squarely blamed the military high command for the shortages of ammunition, sharing graphic videos and using profanity-laden social media rants to expose the deficiencies and internal divisions within Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.

While he never directly targeted the president in his outbursts, his sarcastic references to the “happy grandfather” were widely interpreted as indirect criticism.

Last month, he raised doubts about Russia’s chances of success if it turned out that “this grandfather is a complete arsehole.”

Then, in a lengthy diatribe on June 23, he revealed that the entire pretext for the war was a lie, alleging that it was merely an excuse for a “small group of scumbags” to promote themselves and deceive both the public and the president.

Subsequent events unfolded rapidly.

Prigozhin accused the military of orchestrating a deadly shelling on his personnel in Ukraine, but the military denied it, and he failed to produce his usual array of evidence.

Late on Friday, he declared that his “march for justice” had begun, stating that his force of 25,000 was only a “tactical reserve,” with the entire army and the entire country serving as their strategic reserve.

General Sergei Surovikin, deputy commander of forces in Ukraine, appealed to him to step back and submit to President Putin’s authority.

However, by morning, Prigozhin’s forces had reached Rostov, with him declaring, “We are inside [military] headquarters.”