Prigozhin threatens to withdraw from Bakhmut – and warns Vladimir Putin: “Then Crimea will fall” Because of salmonella: Norway must throw away several tons of kebab meat

The power struggle in Russia’s military leadership is entering the next round. And that increasingly develops into an open exchange of blows. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin spoke out this weekend in a video published on an unofficial Telegram channel, according to the Reuters news agency.

In it he again complains that his Wagner troops have been short of ammunition. In recent weeks, Prigozhin has accused the Russian government, in particular Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, of “treasoning” and antagonizing him and his private army.

In addition to the alleged lack of ammunition for his units, Prigozhin was also banned from recruiting more prisoners into his troops – presumably because the Russian military discovered this “personnel resource” for itself.

Observers speculated about the power struggle that Prigozhin had become too influential for some exponents of the Moscow government – possibly even Vladimir Putin himself – and too popular for his constant appearances close to the front. Meanwhile, it seems clear that Prigozhin himself has ambitions to rise within the Russian circle of power:

The 61-year-old now wants to use new arguments to reinforce his demands for more support from the Russian army. In the video, Prigozhin explicitly threatens to withdraw his Wagner troops from the hard-fought, at least symbolically important, city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which he says would have devastating consequences for Russia’s offensive war:

So far, his troops have been the reason why the Ukrainian units on the Eastern Front have not yet managed to break through – if they refuse to serve in the future because of the lack of support, even Crimea is in danger.

In the video, Prigozhin also says that the obstacles placed in his path and that of his private army could be a deliberate strategy to make Wagner a scapegoat if Russia’s war in Ukraine fails.

The mercenary boss rhetorically asks, “Is it possible that this is a plan by the Ministry of Defense – or maybe even higher – to give the Russian people a reason for all our problems?”

Since the Defense Ministry reports directly to the Russian President, this is likely an explicit dig at Vladimir Putin.

The question is whether Prigozhin’s fear of a collapse of the Russian front should be taken seriously. The 61-year-old has always made exaggerated and dramatized statements in the past. Moreover, in recent days there have been increasing reports that Bakhmut’s Ukrainian defenders could soon give up.

What the clarity of the statements shows, however, is that the rifts within the Russian elite are widening rather than narrowing. Former separatist leader Igor Girkin, who is also critical of Prigozhin, recently spoke openly about a possible civil war in Russia.