Russia could face ‘revolution’ if Moscow loses Ukraine war, Wagner boss claims – National | 24CA News
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founding father of the Wagner mercenary group, warned that Russia might face a revolution just like these of 1917 and lose the battle in Ukraine until the elite bought critical about combating the struggle.
Russia’s strongest mercenary stated his political outlook was dominated by love for the motherland and serving President Vladimir Putin, however cautioned that Russia was in peril of turmoil.
Prigozhin stated there was a so-called optimistic view that the West would get uninterested in struggle and China would dealer a peace deal, however that he didn’t actually consider in that interpretation.
Instead, he stated, Ukraine was getting ready a counteroffensive geared toward pushing Russian troops again to its borders earlier than 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea. Ukraine would attempt to encircle Bakhmut, the main focus of intense combating within the east, and assault Crimea, he added.
“Most likely of all, this scenario will not be good for Russia so we need to prepare for an arduous war,” he stated in an interview posted on his Telegram channel.
“We are in such a condition that we could f—— lose Russia – that is the main problem … We need to impose martial law.”
Prigozhin stated his nickname “Putin’s chef” was silly as he couldn’t cook dinner and had by no means been a chef, quipping that “Putin’s butcher” is perhaps a extra apt nickname.
“They could have just given me a nickname right away — Putin’s butcher, and everything would have been fine,” he stated.
If bizarre Russians continued getting their youngsters again in zinc coffins whereas the kids of the elite “shook their arses” within the solar, he stated, Russia would face turmoil alongside the traces of the 1917 revolutions that ushered in a civil struggle.
“This divide can end as in 1917 with a revolution,” he stated.
“First the soldiers will stand up, and after that – their loved ones will rise up,” he stated. “There are already tens of thousands of them – relatives of those killed. And there will probably be hundreds of thousands – we cannot avoid that.”
The defence ministry didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Prigozhin criticized Russia’s post-Soviet coverage in the direction of Ukraine and solid the implementation of what the Kremlin calls the “special military operation” as unclear, contradictory and confused.
Russia’s army management, he stated, had “f—– up” repeatedly throughout the struggle. The acknowledged goal of demilitarizing Ukraine, he stated, had failed.
Prigozhin stated Soviet chief Josef Stalin wouldn’t have accepted such failure. A cross-border assault into Russia’s Belgorod area indicated the failures of the army management, he stated, warning that Ukraine would search to strike deeper into Russia.
Russia wanted to mobilize extra males and to gear the economic system completely to struggle, Prigozhin stated.
Wagner, he stated, had recruited round 50,000 convicts throughout the struggle, of whom about 20 per cent had perished. Around the identical quantity of his contract troopers – 10,000 – had perished, he stated.
In Bakhmut, Prigozhin stated, Ukraine had suffered casualties of fifty,000-70,000 wounded and 50,000 lifeless.
Reuters is unable to confirm casualty claims from both facet, and neither Russia nor Ukraine launch figures on their very own casualties. Ukraine has stated Russian losses are far greater than its losses.
Prigozhin stated Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ought to be changed by Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev whereas Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov ought to be changed by Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian media.
Asked about his political credo: “I love my motherland, I serve Putin, Shoigu should be judged and we will fight on.”
