Central / Eastern Europe

LONDON (Reuters) – A group of mercenaries led by this man are striving for victory for Russia on the battlefields of Ukraine. But there is growing evidence that Putin’s government is apparently moving in the direction of undermining his excessive political influence. That person is Yevgeny Prigozhin, 61, the founder of the private military company Wagner.

In recent months, the bloody role of Prigozhin, who has a criminal record, in the invasion of Ukraine has been making headlines. In the West, it is even depicted as a real-life version of the 007 series nemesis.

Prigozhin, known for his skinhead and outspokenness, has become a hot topic in the Russian-language media. He has boasted about being subject to Western sanctions, publicly denounced Russian military leaders, tried to use his battlefield successes to gain the Putin regime’s favor, and imprisoned tens of thousands of people. He explains in detail how he was recruited into the mercenary group.

Prigogine’s presence has been so high that it has sparked speculation among colleagues and analysts that he may be seeking public office or a career in politics.

Lately, however, there is mounting evidence that the Putin administration is moving in the direction of nipping the buds of such speculation early. Prigogine himself has been ordered to refrain from openly criticizing the Ministry of Defense, and the state media has been advised not to mention him or Wagner in any reports.

Prigozin confirmed last week that his right to recruit prisoners had been suspended. The right was one of the key steps in his growing political clout, and helped Wagner make small but steady advances in eastern Ukraine. Wagner’s forces appear to be slowly approaching the capture of the city of Bakhmut.

Olga Romanova, director of a human rights group for prisoners, said prison recruitment was taken over by the Ministry of Defense earlier this year. The Ministry of Defense does not approve of this.

Former presidential adviser Sergey Markov, who still has close ties to several authorities, said: “Putin’s senior officials are against Prigozhin’s entry into politics. I think,” he says.

Longtime Putin researcher Tatiana Stanovaya wrote in a paper for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that Prigozhin’s downfall does not appear to be imminent, but that ties to the Putin regime have cracked. He pointed out that it was happening.

“Domestic political heavyweights have harassed Putin’s aides with Prigozhin’s inflammatory political rhetoric, attacks on public institutions, and the threat of forming a political party that will cause headaches for everyone in the government. I don’t like attempts to provoke,” Stanovaya wrote.

“He’s not just become a celebrity. He’s clearly turning into a full-fledged politician with a unique point of view.”

According to Markov, Putin’s government has been assured by Prigozhin that it will not form its own political movement or join a political party unless the regime asks for it.

“(The message from the administration) is that we will provide military resources, but for the time being, stay out of politics,” Mr. Markov said.

Prigozhin said in an interview in Russia on Thursday that he has “zero” political ambitions.

Markov, who describes Prigozhin as an extremely militant figure, believes Putin asked him to refrain from openly criticizing the top officials when he met him in St. Petersburg around January 14.

Mr. Markov said he did not know the details of each person’s remarks about the meeting, and Reuters could not confirm whether he was right or wrong.

Prigozhin has since softened his criticism of the administration’s top brass, giving a rare video interview on Thursday to make it clear that he didn’t criticize anyone.

The meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg is not listed on the Russian government website, but at least one of the attendees confirmed it and posted about it on social media. The Russian government declined to comment on private meetings.

The Russian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether or why Prigozhin’s actions were taken into consideration. But on Wednesday, a prominent Wagner-linked social media “gray zone” published what appeared to be a leak of directives directed at state media by the government.

The document advises recipients not to refer to Mr. Prigogine or Wagner by their real names, and suggests using generic names when referring to Wagner’s troops.

Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the document, and state media are not allowed to publish directives of this kind.

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Prigozhin said in a statement released on Wednesday that Wagner appears to be appearing less frequently in Russian media these days. He said it was an attempt by “losers” to wreak havoc on the group he runs, but he didn’t name it.

Markov, who has spoken a lot about Prigozhin in a mostly positive light, said he was one of those who was asked not to praise Mr Prigozhin, the head of a private military company. .

“They were saying, ‘We’re not going to ban it, but we should stop it,'” Markov said.

Dmitry Arperovic, a native of Russia and chairman of the US think tank Silverado Policy Accelerator, said Prigozhin feels his sphere of influence is shrinking.

“Prigozin’s fortunes are in doubt. Criticism of the military and other elites has gone too far,” Alperovic said on Twitter. “Now his wings are being plucked.”

After years of denying being the founder of Wagner, Prigogine finally unveiled his veil last September, revealing that he founded the company in 2014.

Around this time, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, dubbed a “special military operation,” was a major loss for the military’s upper echelons. Following the chaotic withdrawal from the capital Kyiv (Kiev), the Kharkov province in the northeast was also withdrawn, and the withdrawal from the southern city of Kherson was imminent.

Prigozhin, who made his fortune with a successful catering business, has led a vigorous public relations campaign at the center of his career, using social media, state television, and feature films to promote his mercenary force to the ranks of the military miracle elite. It was drawn as a combat unit.

Prigozhin portrayed himself as a ruthless and capable patriotic manager, and Russia’s upper echelons as incompetent and ignorant.

Prigozin, who has his mercenary forces deployed across Africa and the Middle East, suggested last week that he and his men could disappear as suddenly as they appeared. But many of his enemies may not believe his words.

“When it’s no longer needed, we pack up and go back to Africa,” Prigogine said.

(Reporter Andrew Osborn, translated by Eaclelen)