“Satan, dwarf, the land ***”: two well-known Russians would slander Putin so wildly

A leaked phone call in which Russian President Vladimir Putin is referred to as “Satan” and “dwarf”, among other things, is causing a stir. It appears to be a conversation between Russian oligarch Farkhad Akhmedov and well-known music producer Iosif Prigozhin and was first published on Telegram. Russian and Ukrainian media also reported on it.

In the conversation, the two participants rant against the leadership of the Kremlin, what is it worth. “Putin is beyond saving, he is responsible for everything,” it is said, “they fucked the country, they fucked everyone,” is attributed to Akhmedov. Prigozhin allegedly said that Putin “buried the Russian people”. The music manager allegedly said that the Kremlin is made up entirely of criminals.

The conversation apparently took place a few weeks ago. What makes it special is the supposed insight into the mindset of two well-known Russians who were previously thought to be Putin supporters.

Prigozhin, who is not related to the eponymous boss of the Wagner mercenary group, is a fairly well-known music producer in Russia who has worked with several prominent artists. Akhmedov is from Azerbaijan, but came to Moscow at a young age and has been active in the oil and gas trade and agricultural products. According to Forbes, he is one of the 200 richest Russians.

The archives, the authenticity of which cannot be independently verified, repeatedly mention President Putin and criticize his leadership – including the way he treats his followers. “There was not a single good move. He had them compete against each other on a chessboard. Just to save himself.” Ultimately, Putin will be held accountable, it is said. But at the moment there are internal struggles. “These are cockroaches in a jar,” the circle around Putin is estimated.

According to Ukrainian and exiled Russian media, the conversation would be real. The Russian secret service FSB is said to have already shown interest, reports the “New Voice of Ukraine”. And music manager Prigozhin already commented on the recordings. “People can talk about anything in a private conversation,” he told Russian news site Fontanka. He spoke to Akhmedov on the phone in January, but could not recall the details. But neural networks, he says, could do a lot of things these days.

The recording is a mix of spoken and generated words. Yet he spoke of an attack on his privacy. He respects and supports Putin, but also pointed out that “everyone has private conversations where doubts are expressed”.

A Russian military blogger by the name of Anatoloy Shariy even claims to have discovered that the call was recorded using Akhmedov’s hands-free kit. By whom, however, is as unclear as how the alleged recording came to the public.

Used sources:

(t-online/wan)