On Friday morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense went out and claimed that they have taken control of the city of Soledar eastern Ukraine.
A few days in advance, the private mercenary army went The Wagner group came out and claimed the same thing. In both cases, Ukraine has gone out and argued that the city does not is in Russian hands.
Now it is not only unclear whether it is Ukraine or Russia that controls the mining town of Soledar. It is also unclear whether it was Russia’s regular armed forces or the mercenaries from the Wagner group who allegedly took it.
“Corrupt and lying”
In the statement issued by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Russian authorities claimed that it was paratroopers who eventually managed to take the city.
That makes Wagner Group’s founder, the oligarch and Vladimir Putin friend Yevgeny Prigozhin, snort.
“They are constantly trying to steal the victories of the Wagner group,” Prigozhin wrote in a poorly disguised attack on Telegram on Friday.
He never wrote who he was referring to, but called “them” both corrupt and lying.
In the past, Prigozhin, often called “Putin’s cook”, has directed similar attacks against Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Defense Chief Valery Gerasimov and the general staff in general.
– Putin is struggling
When asked what the absurd argument means, Tom Røseth, head teacher in intelligence at the Norwegian Defense Academy (FHS), is crystal clear:
– This tells me that the Wagner group and Prigozhin have been given far too much leeway in this war. It is very special, and a seed for conflict between the Russian defense and the Wagner group, says Røseth, who also heads FHS’s Ukraine programme.
The conflict also has consequences on the battlefield.
– This causes problems along the front. A good example of that is precisely this argument about who should take the “credit” for taking Soledar. The importance of taking the city is also inflated. In this context, it is not Soledar that is so important, but Bakhmut, says Røseth.
The intelligence teacher is also aware that this is something Putin does must have allowed, either actively or passively.
– I think Putin is struggling to keep control of all factors during the day. Since he is so concerned with foreign policy and the war, I think there is a lot of scope for domestic actors, such as Prigozjin, says Røseth.
– Can cause problems
At the present time, Røseth believes that Prigozhin and Putin’s interests coincide, and that Putin is thus allowing the oligarch to run his own race.
– Then it’s fine. The question is what happens if the interests begin to develop into conflicting, says Røseth.
This problem is not exclusive to the relationship between Prigozhin and Putin, but can also apply to the relationship between Putin and the many different local and regional power holders in Russia, the intelligence teacher believes.
– Eventually, I think Putin may have problems with the centralization of power, when he has no time and/or energy to focus on anything other than the war and Russian foreign policy, he says.
