Piskorski: Russia Wagner

For a long time, erstwhile we hear about further successful local offensives of the Russian side in Ukraine, we are talking about the actions of the notorious private military company Wagner. 1 can even get the impression that it is the Vainners who wage war, and that the remainder of the Russian weapon forces occupy positions and watch.

Perhaps it is simply a substance of highly professional information policy coordinated by Yevgenija Prigozhina formation. In the sphere of promotion and ability to penetrate the crowded media space, the petersburg company has no equal. The Russian General Staff and the Ministry of Defence are definitely losing to her. And this situation must translate into a political sphere, including creating certain conflicts.

Wagner versus military bureaucracy

Evgeny Prigozhyn stresses that on 24 February 2022 he ceased to be an entrepreneur and became full active in Russia's operation in Ukraine. Indeed, this war was from the beginning a war of vasners, and not since last year, but practically from the very beginning of the Donbas conflict provoked by the Kiev coup of 2014.

After the Russian intervention began more than a year ago, the relations of Prigozhyn and his people with the command of the regular Russian army were not going well. For months now, Vainners have publically pointed to mistakes in command of the operation, publically criticizing the highest officials and officers liable for conducting it. The situation improved erstwhile command of the Russian operation was entrusted to the Gen. Sergei Sorovikin. Surovikin has worked with Wagner for years, even during a Russian counterterrorism operation in Syria. Yevgeny Prigozhyn publically praised the general from Siberia. The conflict has stopped.

When Sorovikina replaced the function leading the Ukrainian operation personally Chief of General Staff Gen. Valeri GierasimovThere was talk of raising the rank of Russian intervention. For Wagner, that meant coming back to trouble. Wagnerovts as 1 of the fewer Russian formations conducting intense offensive activities (especially on the Donbasz front section – the ongoing fighting for Bachmut, the capture of Soledar) were most likely better equipped and applied more effective tactics than the regular Russian army. But they besides needed more ammunition than the positional soldiers of the remaining formations. Meanwhile, they were given as much as everyone else, which is clearly not enough.

The case became public erstwhile many war correspondents began to distribute recordings of vasners complaining of a deficiency of supplies and frequently uncensored words to find the behaviour of the General Staff. The problem was resolved on 23 February, after he pointed out the unacceptableness of the full situation in his speech to the national Assembly Vladimir Putin.

However, it is not known whether the conflict will erupt again in time. Even more so, the Prigozhyn and its related media are increasingly suspected of attacking the Minister of Defence Sergei the Shoygu. Their motive late became the subject of the closest household to the head of the defence department. According to media reports, his daughter and son-in-law spend more time in the United arabian Emirates than in Russia. That's no reason for any more criticism. However, there were recordings and screenshots showing the minister's son-in-law, Alexei StoliarovIn a alternatively peculiar light. This celebrity of the Russian blogosphere in the typical neo-rich youth manner posts amazingly primitive videos on social media. In addition, he laiches the posts of another celebrated blogger, an opposition writer Yuri Dudzia. In 1 of them, supporters of the Russian operation are referred to as ‘Z-bovine’.

Ksenia Szojgu with her husband, Alexey Stoliarov.

Wagner versus regional bureaucracy

Relations with the Ministry of Defence and Army Command are not Wagner's only interior front. Information on loud public conflicts is besides expanding Prigozhina with governors of any Russian circuits.

The oldest of these disputes is the fierce media war of a businessman from St. Petersburg with the politician there, Alexander Bieglov. The conflict between them has lasted for many years and began long before the outbreak of the current war phase in Ukraine. Recently, however, it has become more and more public.

Primogyn and its media consistently track various types of irregularities, scandals and urban scandals. Recently, they have highlighted the appointment of the gallery manager – the museum in Maneż Anna Jałowa, privately related to the erstwhile president of Ukraine, Peter Poroshenko. A bit earlier, Wagner's boss dealt, among others, with corruption in the field of municipal services and urban investment. He pointed out, among others, the acquisition by the authorities of St. Petersburg of thousands of housing at overpriced prices from 1 of the most powerful Russian developers from the mountain Jews clan in Azerbaijan Goda Nisanova. Concrete losses for the city-region budget have been calculated by analysts controlled by the Congord Prigożyn. He himself spoke of them publically in interviews. He spared no harsh words to the governor: "Sant Petersburg has plunged into full corruption, under the influence, I believe, of the most vile criminal clans. I find it humiliating what is happening to St. Petersburg. Our city has become, in my opinion, a center of betrayal. Of course, as we all see, he directs all this Bieglov”.

Another typical of the Russian regional elite who has exposed himself to Prigozhyn is the politician of the territory of Sverdov, Evgeny Kuywashev. The capital of this region, Yekatierinburg, is considered a symbolic votive of the clan dating back to the Yeltsinov era, neoliberal, pro west oligarchy. This is where the Jelcin Center, which erstwhile opened with a pump by Dmitri Medvedev. Kujwaszew consistently tries to talk in a speech characteristic of the post-Jelcinov elite, mildly distancing himself from Russia's military operation. Last summer, he attacked a publically known tv writer Vladimir Solovyov. He late allowed the appointment of the manager of the past Museum in the circuit capital Igora Puscaryova, which openly discredited the actions of the Russian side in the ongoing conflict. Prigozhina's people besides claim that he has suspicious relationships with Western peculiar Services. The bitterness spell was conveyed by the refusal of local authorities to organize a ceremony with military honors of 1 of the fallen vasners in Ukraine. authoritative reason: it was a convict and an ex-con. The Primogyn publically criticized the authorities of the region. “If all businessman who earns from school cafeterias tries to regulation the country, we will not get far” – Kujwaszew replied, referring to the activity of the founder in the manufacture catering. Evgeny Prigozhyn did not stay indebted and in a characteristic way stated that he would not talk to... ‘cwel’. Kuywaszew is associated with the Moscow mayor's group, Sergei Sobianina. any observers argue that the real line of conflict is just a dispute between Petersburg businessman and the influential admin of the Russian capital, although Wagner's chief publically spoke positively about the activity of Moscow authorities. Sobianina in the autumn of this year awaits the next election of the mayor of the capital.

On the occasion of further loud public disputes involving Wagner's founder, it turned out that he had allies among the regional elites as well. The head of the Crimean authorities supported him rather clearly, Sergei Aksjonov. He besides has good relations with the politician of the Tulsk Oblast, Alexei Diumin. The latter, interestingly, has been mentioned for respective years as a possible successor... Vladimir Putin. In the past, he was the head of safety and a trusted man of the current president.

Alexey Diumin with Vladimir Putin.

The mainstream is afraid of Wagner.

They're not the only problems for Prigozhyn and his men. Wagner's environment is rejected and sected by any Russian political, business and media elites, primarily from large cities. Primogyn and its circumstantial kind make Wagner start to scare the mediate class and strategy liberals, frequently with references to political extremism.

Some large advertising agencies do not even agree to commercial cooperation with the Prigożyna companies as part of campaigns promoting verbunkowa wajnerów. The recruitment of prisoners in penal colonies has been suspended. Primogyn disappeared from the largest national media; it is quoted only in the context of news from the front. Battles are underway for the adoption of government giving the commandant rights to erstwhile Wagner soldiers injured on the Ukrainian front. The draft solution presented in the Duma assumes that they will be included in 1 of the most disadvantaged categories. They are to be served by sanatorium turnouts, the anticipation of choosing the time of leave in the workplace and precedence in the acquisition of garden plots and the connection of the telephone. The Primogyn stated that specified a proposal was an insult to his people. “We will proceed to fight until we break the knee of bureaucrats and force them to take care of those who fought on the front, not for their own snotty, cowardly children” – he added.

In different fields

Primogyn not only controls the celebrated private military company and another purely commercial ventures owned by its holding company. It besides has a media group and a number of projects in social media, especially in the increasingly influential planet of Russian-speaking Telegram.

As it turns out, he besides implemented abroad projects, straight related to politics. According to the Politico portal, before the beginning of the current conflict phase in Ukraine, he discussed joint information actions and the promotion of conventional values with the then head of the Estonian Conservative People's organization (EKRE), a later Home Secretary, Martha Helme. Estonian politicians are known for their strong anti-communist and sometimes anti-Russian statements. However, the Primogyn commented on this information that he had indeed found a common area of interest with Estonian Conservatives.

It besides makes proposals for the sovereignty of the Russian information space. late announced a competition for Russian programmers under a prominent title ‘Videopierevorot’ ("Video flip"), which involves designing a social video platform alternate to YouTube.

Evgeny Prigozin's activity creates speculation about his real ambition. any say he plans a political career. Others find that, most commonly in the world, they care about the destiny of their own soldiers and respect for them. inactive others see everything in the wider context of the modern Russia's conflict between the neoliberal heirs of the Yeltsinian era and the patriotic camp whose faces would be the Primogyn and Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov. For today, 1 can only say with certainty that Wagner's boss is 1 of the most expressive figures in the Russian public space. How will he usage this recognition? Will he not exceed the red line of hazard for which he may face serious problems? The answers to these questions will most likely give us months to come.

Mateusz Piskorski