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THE slain chief of the notorious Wagner mercenary group predicted Russia would come under siege from Ukraine before Vlad had him killed.
Warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin died when his plane was blown out of the sky in August 2023, allegedly on Putin’s orders.
Yevgeny Prigozhin was a key war figure for Russia before he turned on the KremlinRazgruzka_Vagnera telegram channel via AP,
He warned the Belogrod people to prepare for war over a year ago
He was previously close with VladAP
AFP
He led the private Russian military unit that was called in to assist the Kremlin’s quest to illegally conquer Ukraine and became increasingly frustrated with how war efforts were organised.
Fed up with the Ministry of Defence, Prigozhin eventually threatened a coup against Moscow – a move that allegedly led to orders to have him assassinated.
Now footage from more than a year ago has resurfaced of Prigozhin speaking out against Russian corruption – and he warned an invasion was coming as a consequence.
He slammed military chiefs for sucking up until they were given top jobs, only to sit around with their feet up while they sent young men to their slaughter.
The mercenary leader said it was only a matter of time until it had dire consequences, foreshadowing Russia’s desperate defence of the Kursk and Belogrod regions today.
He said: “Already on the border in the Belgorod zone, people need to be issued with assault rifles, machine guns, collective armament, mine throwers, teach them on howitzers.”
Prigozhin said poor leadership and the Russian media lying to the people about the flailing invasion of Ukraine could even lead to civil war.
He said: “I have hopes for the following…”
“First, mass media will stop lying.
“Second, the people will see the whole catastrophe before the enemy will already get to them.
“And third, when the political leadership will be forced to take certain steps in order not to screw up everything.
“Otherwise it can all end in civil war and revolutions and the capture of our territories.
“(It) won’t end with anything good.”
Prigozhin’s prophecy regarding capture of territory proved correct, with Ukraine having claimed 400 square miles of Russian soil in a daring surge launched last Tuesday.
He was particularly scathing of Sergei Shoigu, who served as Minister of Defence from 2012 to 2024 and is now Russia’s security council secratary.
He also lambasted Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
What is the Wagner Group and who was its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin?
The Wagner Group, officially known as PMC Wagner, is a Russian paramilitary organisation that was founded in 2014.
It was run by Putin’s former close ally Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Russia calls the Wagner Group a “private military company,” though it has been labelled as a network of mercenaries by others.
Yevgeny Prigozhin was the leader of the Wagner Group and was at the forefront of their involvement in the war on Ukraine.
He was a close confidant of Putin but became his greatest enemy when he launched an alleged coup in June 2023.
In the past, Prigozhin was often referred to as “Putin’s chef” as he owned a number of restaurants and catering companies that provided services for the Kremlin.
Prigozhin appeared to trigger a crisis after he vowed to “punish” Russia, blaming the Kremlin for a missile attack on a Wagner training camp in Bakhmut, Ukraine, which killed dozens.
Prigozhin and his troops had been fighting in Putin’s war in Ukraine – but the Wagner boss had become a vocal critic of Russia’s military leadership.
In the early hours of June 24, 2023, he announced he had taken control of the Russian army HQ in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, vowing to take the fight to Moscow.
In a series of videos and audio clips posted online, Prigozhin said: “We will destroy anyone who stands in our way…we are moving forward and will go until the end.”
He called for an armed rebellion against Russia’s top generals and defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
Following Prigozhin’s declaration, Putin gave an emergency address calling the Wagner Group’s “armed mutiny” a “stab in the back”.
The Russian president also warned of “inevitable punishment” for those attacking “the motherland”, vowing to defend Russia against “anarchy”.
Prigozhin died in a plane crash on 23 August 2023
He called on Russians to demand better from the pair or threaten to put them “on pikes”.
He added they should be in the trenches to see for themselves how their orders were failing.
Prigozhin raged: “Minister of Defence (Shoigu) is not a political figure. He’s a plowman.
“But today we have a person who thinks he’s higher than the president, higher than god and higher than the Russian people.”
He said Ukraine could be deterred from going “150km deep” into Russia’s territory if Kyiv’s forces knew they’d face a staunch “people’s resistance”.
Prigozhin said: “And the people’s resistance should already be prepared now.”
But he warned that same people’s army would only be effective if they weren’t already aiming their guns at Moscow for failing to handle the conflict.
Ukraine’s shock invasion has led to the capture of more than 70 towns and villages, according to Kyiv figures.
A state of emergency was already declared for Kursk but it has now been declared for Belgorod too, true to Prigozhin’s prediction.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said his troops continued to push deeper into Vlad’s territory.
The private war boss became increasingly furious with Russian leadershipAP
Vlad is now reeling from Ukraine’s invasion after allegedly ordering Prigozhin’s death a year agoReuters
Prigozhin’s grave after his plane was blown out of the sky
Reuters
English (US)