Prigozhin caused a sensation with a text about the possible end of the war

The head of the notorious Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigoschin, has caused a stir with a text message about a possible end to the war in Ukraine. In particular, many Ukrainian media referenced a blog post by the 61-year-old over the weekend, which stated:

Even after more than a year, Russian pro-Kremlin circles still only refer to the war as a “special military operation”.

Prigozhin further wrote in the text published on Friday:

Because experts expect a Ukrainian offensive in the coming weeks.

Focus on occupied territories

The only option at the moment is to “get trapped” in the occupied territories, Prigozhin said. However, this would mean a withdrawal from the Kremlin’s actual war goals. These include the complete conquest of the four Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, which Russia illegally annexed last year.

However, at the same time Prigozhin spoke whose mercenaries are currently mainly fighting for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, rules out any negotiations which the Russian-occupied land would cede to Ukraine. Contrary to his earlier words, he also wrote that the fighting must continue – and threatened the Ukrainian army: “See you in Bakhmut.”

He later received comment from his press office on initial media reports of his alleged demand to end the war. The main message of his article was that there should be a “fair fight”, he clarified. (cst/sda/dpa)