Yevgeny Prigozhin, the commander of the pro-Moscow Wagner Military Group, recently made a rare criticism of the management of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Prigozhin believes that the slow progress of the Russian forces is due to what he called the “terrible military bureaucracy”. He expects the strategic city of Bakhmut to be taken control of by March or April.
The Wagner Group, of which Prigozhin is the leader, has been recruiting mercenaries and sending prisoners to the battlefields in Ukraine. On February 9, Prigozhin announced the end of these recruitment operations and expressed his disagreement with the Russian military leadership.
Prigozhin is known to be a hidden ally of the Kremlin, carrying out missions that the army could not undertake. He has recently admitted to being the founder of Wagner and has been involved in Russian interference in the US elections. He has also created “electronic armies” to launch disinformation campaigns and spread false news on the Internet.
Despite the slow progress of the Russian forces in Ukraine, Prigozhin remains optimistic that the strategic city of Bakhmut will be taken control of by March or April. He believes that the problem lies in the “terrible military bureaucracy” and has called on the Russian military leadership to remove the obstacles that are preventing the Wagner Group from achieving victory.
