The British Ministry of Defense reported the information.
On May 27, Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin spoke on the Russian NTV channel and called for the election of a new president in 2024 to rebuild normal relations with Europe.
According to British intelligence, the politician has always criticized the war. This remarkable address was the first call for the replacement of Vladimir Putin on Russian state television since the beginning of the conflict.
The last 15 months in Russia have been characterized by the introduction of restrictions on freedom of speech in Russia, reminiscent of the Soviet era. However, the harsh rhetoric of nationalist figures such as Wagner Group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin is increasing interest in taboo topics among the opposition, experts say.
Relations between Yevgeny Prigozhin and the top military leadership of the Russian Federation have long been tense. Thus, on February 21, he said that he had repeatedly complained about the lack of adequate ammunition supplies to his militants, publicly criticized and scandalized officials of the Russian Defense Ministry, including its head Sergei Shoigu. Recently, the founder of Wagner PMC said that he and other high-ranking Wagner fighters were completely disconnected from the Russian government's communication line and had all passes to Russian ministries blocked.
On March 13, the Institute for the Study of War stated that the conflict between the Russian Defense Ministry and Yevgeny Prigozhin had reached its climax amid the battle for Bakhmut.
On May 15, Prigozhin allegedly offered Ukraine to disclose data on the positions of Russian troops for attacks in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Bakhmut.