Dyskusja użytkownika Marshalist
Wagner Group is a PMC that was created by Russia to project power abroad with a degree of plausible deniability. They usually take part in various civil wars on the african continent, control resource mines, support Russia-inclined warlords and all that stuff. They are not integrated in the Russian military, because that'd defeat the purpose of plausible deniability. Also, this will be important later.
The leader of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is an oligarch that goes back a long way with Putin. Before Wagner, he has made a lot of money on food contracts with schools, military bases and other establishments, which earned him the nickname "Putin's chef".
As of this year they were called to help the Russian effort on the battlefields in Ukraine, particularly around the no longer existing city of Bakhmut, the ruins of which were taken by the Russian forces after an 8 month-long meat grinder. The city was a big news bubble during the battle and after the end of it, which earned Prigozhin many followers and political clout, which he used to push the agenda about traitors in the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff, who, according to Prigozhin, are sabotaging the war effort and especially the efforts of Wagner Group, which they see as being too successful. Prigozhin has frequently complained that the Ministry of Defense does not supply them with enough ammunition, which became a meme.
After the fall of Bakhmut, Prigozhin announced that the Wagner PMC will pull out of Bakhmut to regroup and lick their wounds and will transfer the authority over their sector to the Russian forces. Later there was an incident where they took a Russian officer captive, tortured and humiliated him for days because his regiment has allegedly placed mines on the road the Wagner forces would be using to pull out of Bakhmut. Though it is unclear whether the mining actually happened at all.
Later, the MoD decided to rein in all the many PMCs and warlord detachments by forcing them to sign official contracts with the MoD. Prigozhin publicly refused and stated that the Wagner forces will not sign any contracts with the incapable traitors in the MoD.
Recently, there was a video of Prigozhin disagreeing with the many Russian justifications for the conflict in Ukraine, stating that Ukraine did not bomb the Donbass civilians for 8 years, that Ukraine and NATO was not going to invade Russia and that the MoD was blatantly lying to the president and the people all these years.
Today, there was an alleged strike by the Russian forces of the Wagner forces positions. Prigozhin has publicly declared that he will have none of it and that the Wagner PMC will purge all traitors of Russia in the MoD, General Staff and anyone standing on their way to this.
As of now, not a lot has happened really, although there is a huge wave of panic among the propagandists, bloggers and officials. A criminal case was opened on Yevgeny Prigozhin. A state of emergency was issued in Moscow, although the Wagnerites were yet to enter Rostov, a couple high ranking generals released videos telling Prigozhin he should stop right now, everyone is picking their side. Time will tell what will come out of this alleged coup attempt, but there is surely no going back for Yevgeny Prigozhin.