Putin humiliated as Russian mercenary chief launches furious attack on President
Vladimir Putin has led Russia to failure with his invasion of Ukraine, the chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary group has claimed
Reuter
Vladimir Putin has led Russia to failure with his invasion of Ukraine, the chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary group has claimed in an angry outburst.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said the Russian president has allowed Ukraine to amass "one of the world's strongest armies" through massive Western supplies.
The head of the Wagner group was once considered a close ally of Putin and had been nicknamed the Russian tyrant's "chef" but the chief has recently slammed Putin over his war strategy.
Prigozhin has also warned of impending "revolution" in Russia unless changes are made by the Kremlin leadership.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said the Russian president has allowed Ukraine to amass 'one of the world's strongest armies'
Reuters
Continuing his rant, he went on to blast military leaders saying Russia would restore the death penalty and the guilty - including defence ministry Sergei Shoigu and chief of the defence staff Valery Gerasimov - would be "hanged on Red Square".
He blamed both Shoigu and Gerasimov for losing more men in Bakhmut than in the entire ten-year Soviet war in Afghanistan from 1979-89.
"So the de-nazification of Ukraine, which we announced – we made Ukraine a nation, known to everyone around the globe,' he said.
"They are like Greeks at their peak, or Romans."
Speaking to Konstantin Dolgov, a pro-war blogger, he added: "We legitimised Ukraine, it became a country which is known to everyone. As for de-militarisation… [this is] a painful issue indeed.
"So if they had at the start of it 500 tanks – now they have 5,000. If there were 20,000 men who were able to fight – now there are 400,000. So how exactly did we demilitarise it?
"Quite the opposite! We militarised it up to the brim. I think Ukrainians today are one of the world's strongest armies. They have high levels of organisation, training, military intelligence.
"They have various ammunition and moreover, they are able to switch between any system - Soviet, Nato, anything at all - with the same success. They take their losses philosophically.
"They have various ammunition and moreover, they are able to switch between any system - Soviet, Nato, anything at all - with the same success. They take their losses philosophically."
The head of the Wagner group was once considered a close ally of Putin and had been nicknamed Putin's 'chef'
Reuters
He also admitted that in Bakhmut his army had lost 10,000 prisoners which were freed to fight for Putin, and the same number of volunteers.
However, many experts estimate the Wagner losses to be higher.
Prigozhin warned of the real threat of Russia losing the war and said he now "hardly believes" it is possible that Russia can hold on to the territory it now has.
The "pessimistic scenario" is that Ukraine can "restore the 2014 borders, they will try to attack Crimea, destroy the Crimean Bridge, and cut off routes of supply.
"And most likely the scenario won't be good for us," he said.