In a television interview, the financier of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin (61), complained about the lack of commitment of oligarchs and the wealthy in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. “You are afraid. You like the convenience. They all want to dive into a warm pool in the evening and have fun,” the 61-year-old, who does not appear in the media, said on Saturday in an interview with the Russian state television channel RT He advocated taking everything from these Russian compatriots, so from his point of view they would be ready to work for the front.
“At some point you have to understand that you have to give up everything you have, ie from the seductive world of restaurants, spas, dachas, swimming pools,” he said. “The faster everything is taken from them, the better.” Like many wealthy Russians, Prigozhin is subject to Western sanctions for supporting the war in Ukraine.
The businessman is considered a close confidant of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (70). From her former time in St. Petersburg, he is also called “Putin’s cook” because he entertained the politician in his restaurant there. Prigozhin, wanted by the FBI in the United States for election interference, recently revealed himself as the man behind the Wagner group, which consisted of volunteers and convicts. He repeatedly criticizes mistakes of the Russian military leadership in the war against Ukraine.
He is in a power struggle with the Saint Petersburg authorities
Prigozhin made a public appearance in St. Petersburg on Saturday at the funeral of a Wagner fighter killed in the war in Ukraine. State media in Russia treated this as a sensation, as Prigozhin has often spoken out in recent times, but has not appeared on camera.
For the businessman, the funeral was a success in his struggle for power with the St. Petersburg authorities, who initially refused to honor the dead man, a convicted criminal, in the military section of the cemetery. Prigozhin, on the contrary, praised the man as a “true patriot”. He emphasized that everyone at the front is equal. The US Institute for War Studies (ISW) assessed the performance and interview as another attempt by Prigozhin to gain respect and influence in Russian society. (SDA/jmh)