Posted on 05/24/2023 8:47:37 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
RIGA, Latvia — Fresh off his claim of victory in capturing the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Russian mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin warned that Moscow’s brutal war could plunge Russia into turmoil similar to the 1917 revolution unless its detached, wealthy elite become more directly committed to the conflict.
In a lengthy interview with Konstantin Dolgov, a political operative and pro-war blogger, Prigozhin, the founder and leader of the Wagner mercenary group, also asserted that the war had backfired spectacularly by failing to “demilitarize” Ukraine, one of President Vladimir Putin’s stated aims of the invasion. He also called for totalitarian policies.
“We are in a situation where we can simply lose Russia,” Prigozhin said, using an expletive to hammer his point. “We must introduce martial law. We unfortunately … must announce new waves of mobilization; we must put everyone who is capable to work on increasing the production of ammunition,” he said. “Russia needs to live like North Korea for a few years, so to say, close the borders … and work hard.”
Citing public anger at the lavish lifestyles of Russia’s rich and powerful, Prigozhin warned their homes could be stormed by people with “pitchforks.” He singled out Ksenia Shoigu, the daughter of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was spotted vacationing in Dubai with her fiancé, Alexei Stolyarov, a fitness blogger.
“The children of the elite shut their traps at best, and some allow themselves a public, fat, carefree life,” Prigozhin said in the interview, which was released Wednesday on video. “This division might end as in 1917, with a revolution — when first the soldiers rise up, and then their loved ones follow.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The Russian elite in St. Petersburg and Moscow are not fighting in the war. Most soldiers are from Caucasus Mountains and Siberia.
For two years Putin sat in isolation dreaming of conquests, having delusions of grandeur.. And now look where he is.
A feudal system where the elites only pursue their own interests and do not share the hardships? That must be horrible to be somewhere like that.
/s
“For two years Putin sat in isolation dreaming of conquests, having delusions of grandeur.. And now look where he is.”
...with an economy stronger than Europe, near 80% support of his people (highest in Europe is something like 43%), liberated the most productive land in Ukraine, and is EASILY outproducing the West in arms, not to mention being buddies with China, should he want to step it up even more.
Other than that, Ukraine has been a disaster!
Dude if this guy pissed off Putin once he’d be dead. The fact he runs around shooting his mouth off is because it’s more disinfo that the media gobbles up. I had a coworker tell me the Ukrainians were pushing back the Russians in Bakhmut and I just nodded and walked on.
The Russian economy is not stronger than Europe.
It’s not even stronger than just the Netherlands.
I the 13 years I’ve lived here, I’ve not seen it improve before the war and now, after February 2022, it has only declined both at the macro level but especially at the street level, affecting goods and services availability.
Putin's not that stupid. Right now this Wagner guy and Kadyrov are both untouchable. Putin needs them for the war in Ukraine. Otherwise, he'll be stick with corrupt generals in the Russian military who can't do anything.
“The Russian economy is not stronger than Europe.”
Which is growing, which is not? Which is producing weapons, which is not? Which is producing and exporting energy, which is not? Which has record food production and which has farms being SHUT DOWN by the thousands?
Feel free to live in your fantasy land, but the bottom line is that the ‘sanctions’ FAILED because Europe trying to sanction Russia was no different than El Salvador trying to ‘sanction’ the United States.
Does your arm get tired, carrying all that water for Putin?
CC
“Does your arm get tired, carrying all that water for Putin?”
What’s Putin have to do with what I posted?
Europe trying to sanction Russia was no different than El Salvador trying to ‘sanction’ the United States.
How xan that be when gdp of eu is over 10 times that of russia, per capita 3 times larger? Russia is el salvador.
“How xan that be when gdp of eu is over 10 times that of russia, per capita 3 times larger?”
Then why isn’t Russia on their knees and why does the EU have record inflation? Global Warming, maybe?
Who said it had to be?
Pure copium bullshit contradicted by not just Prigozhin, but by all the serious Russian military bloggers outside of the propaganda bubble you are deeply immersed in.
The Russian economy is doing so well their air quality is increasing too. /s
—> I had a coworker tell me the Ukrainians were pushing back the Russians in Bakhmut and I just nodded and walked on.
Ah, work Zeepers.
Exactly !
Stoltenberg admitted that NATO + Australia, Japan, S Korea cannot produce the 7000 artillery rounds a day Ukraine needs.
This is after a year, and they still can get their act together and do it.
They need seven forging presses running 24 hours a day, but they can’t even manage that much.
NATO+ is more than a billion people, and easily half the world’s GDP. And they fail on these basics.
They are a decadent, unfit, incompetent elite that deserves to be overthrown.
Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin is a Russian oligarch and a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin is sometimes called “Putin’s chef”, because he owns restaurants and catering companies that provide services for the Kremlin.
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