Prigozhin’s request is his most blatant public challenge yet to President Vladimir Putin’s top military officials, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
For several months, the 61-year-old Prigozhin has insulted both Shoigu and Gerasimov, who lead the Russian army, for alleged betrayal. No one has publicly responded to his criticism.
“Today I have sent letters to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and the Prosecutor’s Office with a request to verify the fact of the commission of a crime by senior officials of the Ministry of Defense during the preparation and management of the Special Military Operation,” Prigozhin said.
The Ministry of Defense declined to comment.
Prigozhin, the founder of the “Wagner” mercenary group, is the most prominent representative of Putin’s circles, who gained wide fame during the 15-month war in Ukraine.
He quipped last week that his nickname should be “Putin’s Butcher” instead of “Putin’s Chef.” He says loyalty to Putin is part of his political stance, which he summed up as: “I love my country, I serve Putin, Shoigu must be convicted and we will fight on.”
In statements this week, he said he was continuing to keep the country’s top leadership informed of the problems and criticized top Kremlin officials for blocking media coverage of him and his private army.
2023-05-31 20:42:38
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