Prigozhin helps Putin turn Russsia into penal battalion

He no longer hides his direct involvement in the Wagner PMC, regularly makes loud statements, and tries to defeat Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov in the hardware fight. What "dish" does Prigozhin prepare for Putin

Prigozhin can be called one of the symbols of Putinism. Twice convicted of theft, he became a catering businessman in the early 90s and the range of his business interests grew by income and influence. He found a way out to Putin and became helpful to him first as a restaurateur. However, Prigozhin was not very interested in building real estate. He used Putin's favor to form a media empire that serves the Kremlin. Moreover, it does this not only through its own media, but also thanks to the "olginsky trolls", which also became one of the interference symbols in the 2016 US presidential election. In July 2022, the US State Department announced a винагороду 10 million reward for Yevgeny Prigozhin. This fact seems to have been a signal for him to go all in. In particular, because of the public promise to intervene in the flow of mid-terms overseas.

"In July 2022, the US State Department announced a 10 million reward for Yevgeny Prigozhin, and this fact seems to have been a signal for him to go all-in. In particular, through a public promise to intervene in the flow of mid-terms overseas"

The increasingly prominent information private military company "Wagner" was known before. It began to manifest itself in 2014 in the Donbas. Then the Wagner forces (in the Russian media they are called" orchestras") operated in Syria and several African countries. They resemble the SS men of the Third Reich, for whom their own rules of conduct and a "code of honor" have been created. The murder on camera of "Wagnerian" Yevgeny Nuzhin in the fall of 2022, followed by the "transfer of a sledgehammer to the European Parliament", is an illustrative example of Prigozhin's behavior, who seeks to position himself above the law and challenge the current rules. He demonstrates vassalage to Putin, which should be quite enough to resolve personal issues and increase influence within the Russian establishment. So, its demonstrative counter-system is only a skillful use of stereotypes.

"Prigozhin demonstrates vassalage to Putin, which should be quite enough to resolve personal issues and increase influence within the Russian establishment. So, its demonstrative counter-system is only a skillful use of stereotypes.

Evgeny Prigozhin's tour of Russia's correctional colonies, to which he flew by helicopter, with rattles on a khaki jacket (Prigozhin is a hero of Russia (!!!) and the "hero" of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic), became an asymmetric response to the defeat of the Russian army in the Kharkiv region. It is not known for certain whether Putin asked his trusted chef to quickly join the ranks of the Russian forces, but it is difficult to imagine that even in Russia the gates of colonies and prisons were opened to a formally private person. According to John Kirby, The Wagner PMC includes 10 thousand mercenaries and 40 thousand of yesterday's prisoners released to participate in the fighting in Ukraine. Some of them had already returned home in corpse bags, and these were characters who had to serve long prison terms for murder and other serious crimes.

The assault on Bakhmut, which began in July 2022, became Prigozhin's personal Stalingrad (in Russia they are discussing the possibility of returning this name to Volgograd city). It is on Bakhmut that the attacks of the Wagner forces are directed, and their goal is far from the champagne factory located in the city. Much more interesting are the Bakhmut dungeons, where at least previously there were significant reserves of weapons. However, Prigozhin does not manage to demonstrate the effectiveness of his wards on the battlefield, hence the new year's video about the "500 lines of defense" in Bakhmut. At the same time, please note that the Wagner forces in this direction are unlikely to be replaced by the Russian army, of course, if they are not suicides.

Prigozhin pointedly sets his own rules of behavior. In recent weeks, he has ousted Ramzan Kadyrov from the information field, and this may indicate the commitment of the Russian special services, which for a number of reasons do not like the owner of Chechnya. Prigozhin showed solidarity with the Wagner forces who gave a public abusive description of the chief of the Russian General Staff Gerasimov. The "Cooker of war" managed to react to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's trip to Bakhmut and demonstrate that on New Year's Eve, he is close to those who have been storming Bakhmut in vain since July. At the same time, he did not forget to "accidentally" recall that "Sergey Surovikin, who commands the rashists in Ukraine, also congratulated his fighters."

"Prigozhin demonstratively sets his own rules of behavior. In recent weeks, he has ousted Ramzan Kadyrov from the information field, and this may indicate the commitment of the Russian special services, which for several reasons do not like the owner of Chechnya.

By the way, it is not superfluous to recall that Prigozhin in recent years financed the production of propaganda films "Tourist" and "Sunburn", which glorify the mercenaries-Wagner forces. I mean, his henchmen are good at creating the right scenery in safe places, so it's not worth talking about the sponsor of the Wagner PMC as a field commander.  Getting close to the front line is too risky for him.

The accurate HIMARS volley on New Year's Eve at the vocational school in Makiivka, where several hundred mobilized Russian soldiers was stationed, gave Prigozhin a good chance for a powerful information attack on the Russian army leadership. Prigozhin has a corresponding experience. A few months ago, together with Ramzan Kadyrov, he "ate" the commander of the Central Military District, General Lapin. The recipe is really simple: a wave in the media combined with the ability to directly convey information to the first person. Prigozhin demonstrates a willingness to take risks, relying on the myth about the effectiveness of PMC Wagner, which has no objective evidence. He deftly creates situational alliances to achieve his own goal, using his image of "a person not from the system."  And this unsystematic nature continues to be broadcast to Russian society, as if telling the lumpens there: "I'm one of you, I'm just a little luckier."

"Wagner forces" are ready to become, if necessary, "death squads" for Russia in times of future turbulence"

Why is Prigozhin beneficial to the Kremlin? Ten years ago, its structures were engaged in "cleaning up" the media field of Russia and destroying the Russian opposition from within. Since 2014, they have been performing "delicate tasks" with weapons in their hands. Prigozhin helps Putin build a penal colony country as if sending the inhabitants of Russia back to Stalin's times. It remains only to reprint the book "on delicious and healthy food" to achieve a better reconstruction effect. With harsh statements about Russian generals and a hairpin about Medvedev's "erotic fantasies", Prigozhin forms an image of a populist a la Militaire, who is unconditionally subordinate to Putin.  And his Wagner forces are ready to become, if necessary, "death squads" for Russia in times of impending turbulence.

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About the author. Yevhen Magda, political scientist

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.