Wagner PMC financier Yevgeny Prigozhin denied the Kremlin’s claims that Russia is at war with NATO in Ukraine, and also questioned the existence of “Nazis” in Ukraine, which the Russian authorities constantly talk about.
This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War ( ISW ).
Analysts say the Wagner PMC founder has toned down his rhetoric about the Russian Defense Ministry, likely out of fear of completely losing his mercenary forces in Bakhmut.
He also “denied the Kremlin’s claims that Russia is at war with NATO in Ukraine, and questioned whether there really are “Nazis” in Ukraine, as the Kremlin constantly claims.”
“Prigozhin said that Russia is fighting “exclusively with Ukrainians” equipped with NATO-provided equipment and some “Russophobic” mercenaries who voluntarily support Ukraine, but not with NATO itself,” experts emphasize.
He also stressed that Russian officials most likely knew that NATO would offer assistance to Ukraine, because “it is ridiculous to think that when the Russian Federation decided to start a war, it did not take into account NATO assistance to Ukraine.”
“Prigozhin also spoke about the fact that he is not sure about the goals of “denazification” in Ukraine, because he does not know if there are “Nazis” in Ukraine. Prigozhin also noted that Russia would “demilitarize” Ukraine only when all Ukrainian troops were destroyed, arguing that these efforts are ongoing, but it is not clear whether they will be successful,” the Institute said.
According to the Wagnerian financier, Russia can avoid a grueling long war by deciding now which borders it wants to capture.
As experts explain, with his remarks, Prigozhin “virtually rejected the Kremlin’s pre-war and post-war statements that the Russian Federation needed to defend itself against the threat of NATO in Ukraine, and undermined the necessity and likelihood of the maximalist goals of his invasion declared by Russian dictator Putin.”
Source: Glavnoe