The businessman, according to analysts, tried to undermine the authority of a retired FSB colonel by publicly offering him to come to the occupied Donbass and head the assault division of the Wagner PMC.
The recent skirmish between Wagner PMC owner Yevgeny Prigozhin and Igor Strelkov-Girkin, ex-leader of pro-Russian militants in the DPR, opens a window of opportunity for subsequent conflicts for political influence in the Russian Federation, in which representatives of nationalist groups may participate. About it says in a new report from the ISW Institute for the Study of War on January 26.
In particular, analysts decided to comment on the dispute between Yevgeny Prigozhin and Igor Strelkov-Girkin, as a result of which the businessman invited the ex-leader of the pro-Russian “DPR” militants to come to the occupied Donbass and lead one of the assault units of the Wagner PMC.
The ISW believes that such a skirmish makes possible subsequent conflicts for political influence in Russia, in which representatives of nationalist groups actively supporting the invasion of Ukraine will participate.
Analysts name Prigozhin and Strelkov-Girkin among the main critics of Vladimir Putin’s conduct of the war, who pursue personal gain. The ex-leader of the “DNR” militants is a representative of the “veteran wing”, and the owner of the PMC “Wagner” is a self-proclaimed nationalist with access to paramilitarist forces.
“Prigozhin and Girkin are likely competing for the favor of the pro-military forces in the Kremlin, which are represented by overt nationalist politicians. Prigozhin’s attack on Girkin could benefit Putin. Prigozhin is highly visible in the Russian media, and many military bloggers responded by blaming Girkin lack of combat experience and cowardice.Prigozhin may have been trying to undermine Girkin’s authority in order to gain influence in the nationalist space,” the analysts added in their report.
A few days earlier, the ISW Institute for the Study of War reported about the fall of the authority of Yevgeny Prigozhin in the Kremlin against the background of a series of military failures of mercenaries in Bakhmut. According to American analysts, the owner of the Wagner PMC is losing his political influence because he failed to fulfill his promise to seize the front-line city.
Same Focus in his material he spoke in detail, why they want to remove the owner of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin from the Russian information space.
