Russia moves to take direct control of Wagner Group

BBC ^ | 6/11/2023 | Matt Murphy

[marcusmaximus]

Russia appears to have moved to take direct control of Wagner, after months of infighting between defence officials and the private military group.

Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Saturday "volunteer formations" will be asked to sign contracts directly with the ministry of defence.

The vaguely worded statement is widely believed to target the group.

But in a furious statement on Sunday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces would boycott the contracts.

The private military group has played a major role in the war in Ukraine, fighting on the side of Russian forces.

But Prigozhin, who is said to hold political ambitions of his own, has been embroiled in a public dispute with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and military chief Valery Gerasimov for months.

He has repeatedly accused the pair of incompetence and of deliberately undersupplying Wagner units fighting in Ukraine.

"Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu," Prigozhin said in response to a request for comment on the defence ministry's announcement. "Shoigu cannot properly manage military formation."

He insisted that his group was well integrated with the Russian military, but said that its effectiveness would be damaged by having to report to the defence minister.

[marcusmaximus]

[MinorityRepublican]

its effectiveness would be damaged by having to report to the defence minister.

The Russian military is corrupt. If they are serious about winning, they need to privatize the war in Ukraine.

[Kazan]

Ukraine's Offensive Begins: Burning NATO Equipment vs. Layered Russian Defenses

Update on Ukrainian Conflict for June 10, 2023:

- Ukraine’s long-awaited offensive has begun, including all types of NATO-provided armor and weapons;

- Visual evidence is emerging of burning Leopard 2 tanks, US Bradley fighting vehicles, and other equipment as Ukraine struggles to punch through Russia’s security zone and reach its first defensive lines;

- Both Western and Russian sources are reporting heavy Ukrainian losses;

- Since Ukraine’s fall offensives last year, Russia has mobilized 300,000 additional troops and established multiple layers of defenses;

- Regardless of Ukraine’s performance, NATO does not have the ability to supply Ukraine with the equipment and ammunition to sustain operations for any length of time or to hold gained territory against a Russian counter-offensive;

Follow Alex and Alexander of The Duran for daily updates regarding Ukraine:

[marcusmaximus]

Tell your Putin to say goodbye to his land bridge.

[dennisw]

If it gets too hot for Yevgeny Prigozhin, he can always skedaddle to Africa, where Wagner has operations in nations that have gold mines. In some cases against the ChiComs, who have African gold mines.
_________

Wagner fighters have been active in the wars of Mali, Central African Republic, Mozambique and Libya. They ally with embattled leaders and militia commanders who can pay for their services in cash, or with lucrative mining concessions for precious minerals like gold, diamonds and uranium.
How Russia’s Wagner Group Is Expanding in Africa - The New York Times
www.nytimes.com/2022/05/31/world/africa/wagner-group-africa.html

[SunkenCiv]

• Prigozhin to be sent to Sudan: What fate awaits Wagner leader? (IOW, he gets off light) [05/28/2023]

[marcusmaximus]

[marcusmaximus]

[marcusmaximus]

More from Prigo today:

[donozark]

I don’t think Prig will go quietly in to the night...

[DIRTYSECRET]

Why can’t they work for Ukraine?

[marcusmaximus]

[DIRTYSECRET]

Kill one person in a war zone and it will stay with you forever.
Kill a second one and you accept it.

Kill a 3rd person you start to enjoy it.

[adorno]

Regardless of Ukraine’s performance, NATO does not have the ability to supply Ukraine with the equipment and ammunition to sustain operations for any length of time or to hold gained territory against a Russian counter-offensive

So, it's just like the beginning of the Russian invasion, where no matter what Ukraine does, Russia will still emerge victorious. Meanwhile, 17 months later, we get the same proclamations of victory by Russia and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians killed and vast amounts of Ukrainian military equipment destroyed, while all the time, Russia has suffered relatively minor losses.

In reality, it's Russia that has suffered the most losses in dead personnel and hundreds of thousands injured and hundreds of billions in equipment losses.

Reality is that, the Russian economy cannot support such heavy losses, while NATO and Europe and the U.S. have unlimited resources in comparison to Russia.

You Russkies need to try to keep your dishonesty in Russia,and if you are from the west, try to open your eyes about which side is the oppressor and invader and the murderer of men, women and children.

[AdmSmith]

Several sources in the entourage of Yevgeny Prigozhin said that the Administration of President Putin prepared proposals for Prigozhin to become governor of one of Russia’s regions. “He was almost told to choose any one, but Prigozhin refused such an idea”.

https://t.me/thekremlinru/256

[McGruff]

Imagine if a US general said something like that.

[dennisw]

Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement in Bakhmut

[Kazan]

The CIA hasn’t been active in stirring up revolutions and wars, destabilizing nations and setting off civil wars?

[Rdct29]

Wagner isn't private and Prigozhin is just a figurehead. Anyone who thinks he operates outside the Russian military is dreaming. It is a Russian unit run by Russian officers. They are a unit that operates with less red tape then the regular Russian military. They are a great tool in the Russian arsenal. Ukraine should focus on fighting the war instead of dreaming up soap opera non sense about Wagner. The truth is Wagner just kicked them out of Bakhmut. That was Zelensky’s Crown Jewel.

[Kazan]

https://sonar21.com/reality-is-settling-in-for-zelensky-and-his-failed-offensive/

I am fascinated by some of the news reports and pundit commentary who insist that a Ukrainian failure means that a long, stalemated war is the likely outcome. That opinion is so stupid and so divorced from reality that it beggars the mind in trying to come up with an explanation for such nonsense. Ukraine is running out of critical weapons, such as artillery, tanks, and fixed wing aircraft — and these losses are accelerating — and Kiev has no good prospects for replacing them. Ukraine also is running out of trained manpower. How does one continue to pursue a stagnant war when the very things you require to conduct and sustain such a war are in short supply and becoming more scarce?

The Ukrainian offensive is entering its eighth day and the only things Zelensky and his generals have to show for the effort are piles of bodies and smoldering tanks and armored personnel carriers.