Prigozhin, Kadyrov, Shoigu: Is the power struggle between Putin’s henchmen now escalating?

class=”sc-29f61514-0 jbwksb”>

He is currently messing with everyone: Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigoshin (62). Russia connoisseur Ulrich Schmid (57), professor of Russian culture and society at the University of St. Gallen, knows what the increasingly aggressive confrontation course of the dark businessman means.

“He is trying to strengthen his own position. He clearly has political ambitions,” Schmid explains. The American military experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also take Prigozhin’s behavior as a sign that he is Kremlin chief Wanted to challenge Vladimir Putin (70) for the spot.

At the same time, the mercenary leader’s loud criticism of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (68) is becoming more and more insane. The Wagner boss blames the defense minister for the failure in Ukraine, calling him a “stinky bastard”.

Will Prigozhin be arrested?

Prigozhin recently claimed that the Russian army had mined the escape routes of his mercenaries and went on to warn that Russia could drop a nuclear bomb on Russia’s Belgorod region if the Ukrainian army captured a village there.

In addition, it emerged that Prigozhin’s fighters allegedly tortured Russian soldiers. Anton Geraschtschenko (40), adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, says he has heard that Shoigu now wants to have Prigozhin and his most important followers arrested. Ulrich Schmid does not believe that Prigozhin will actually be arrested. Putin has so far kept his protective hand over him. Does that change? “Unlikely”.

Chechens are raging

Prigozhin also took on the Chechens, who are led by “Putin’s bloodhound” Ramzan Kadyrov (46). The Wagner boss explained on Telegram that he did not know what the Chechen special unit Akhmad was doing at the front. The commander of Kadyrov’s unit “Kadyrovtsy”, Adam Sultanovich Delimkhanov (53) and Magomed Daudov (43), chairman of the Chechen parliament, did not give up. Daudov’s clear message to Prigozhin: “You would have been shot for such a statement in World War II.”

Is the power struggle dangerous for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (70)? “At the moment both are still behind Putin, but are preparing options after Putin for a while,” says Schmid, referring to Kadyrov and Prigozhin. Shoigu, on the other hand, is known for his unquestioning loyalty to Putin.

The secret winner is Ukraine

“I believe that people from Putin’s inner circle are behind him – there is no doubt about that,” former FSB officer and ultranationalist Igor Girkin, 52, recently told Telegram about Prigozhin. This means that powerful forces within the Russian government apparatus could support Prigozhin’s confrontation course. Girkin suspects that Prigozhin is even planning a coup.

Expert Schmid considers an open putsch unlikely and assesses the situation very differently than Girkin. Prigozhin overestimated his capabilities. “He has no home power in the Kremlin. Moreover, he hardly appears in the state media,” notes Schmid. Kadyrov, in turn, could push for Chechen independence if Putin falters.

The secret winner of the power struggle could be Ukraine. “A divided Russian military leadership is less able to act. It is an advantage for Ukraine if different Russian actors hinder each other on the Ukrainian battlefield,” the expert sums up.

Source: Blick