![]() ![]() ![]() Now Prigozhin has ripped up that contract by taking up the flag of mutiny.įighters of Wagner private mercenary group stand guard outside the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on June 24, 2023. The pattern was longstanding: Members of the elite jockeyed for position, influence and business assets, allowing Putin to stay above the fray and dominate the scene as the ultimate arbiter of disputes. Prigozhin’s feud with the leadership of the Russian military is longstanding, and many observers suggested that this was part of the intricate game of court politics under Putin. By giving Prigozhin free rein to raise a private army, Putin both unleashed the political ambitions of the businessman and surrendered the state’s monopoly on the use of force. Wagner’s existence was not publicly acknowledged, and some of Prigozhin’s operations appeared to be partly self-funded, with various shell companies staking claims to oil and gas facilities and vying for access to gold and other riches.īut all of that changed with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Wagner chief turns on Putin and takes over military facilities in two Russian citiesĪnd it also served Putin’s interest to outsource some of the dirty work of sponsoring armed insurrection in eastern Ukraine or holding territory in Syria. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. After all, mercenary activity was technically barred by Russian law, and Putin could always maintain that interference in US elections was merely the work of “patriotic” hackers.įounder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks inside the headquarters of the Russian southern army military command center, which is taken under control of Wagner PMC, according to him, in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia in this still image taken from a video released June 24, 2023. He bankrolled the notorious troll farm that the US government sanctioned for interference in the 2016 US presidential election created a substantial mercenary force that played a key role in conflicts from Ukraine’s Donbas region to the Syrian civil war and helped Moscow make a play for influence on the African continent.Īll of Prigozhin’s activities gave the Kremlin a fig-leaf of deniability. Prigozhin’s relatively discreet public profile was his greatest asset. Prigozhin and his companies served the interests of the Russian state, advancing Putin’s foreign policy in ways that were both useful and off the books. Petersburg-based businessman named Yevgeny Prigozhin emerged as a canny political entrepreneur. In the years leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a St. Vladimir Putin, meet the Law of Unintended Consequences. ![]()
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