Summary
Overview
This is the final episode of a six-part series examining the life of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian oligarch who built a mercenary empire through Wagner Group. The episode chronicles Prigozhin's final months, from his increasingly public conflicts with Russian military leadership over the brutal battle of Bakhmut, through his shocking June 2023 mutiny when Wagner forces marched toward Moscow, to his mysterious death in a plane crash two months later. Hosts David McCloskey and Gordon Carrera analyze how Prigozhin's escalating confrontations with Defense Minister Shoigu exposed deep fractures in Putin's autocratic system, ultimately leading to his downfall.
Growing Tensions and the Battle for Bakhmut
By early 2023, Prigozhin's relationship with Russian military leadership was deteriorating rapidly. Wagner forces were bearing the brunt of casualties in brutal battles like Soledar and particularly Bakhmut, where they faced a meat grinder that would ultimately kill 20,000 Wagner fighters. Prigozhin increasingly complained publicly about ammunition shortages and blamed Defense Minister Shoigu and Chief of Staff Gerasimov for abandoning his troops, positioning himself as the voice of ordinary Russian soldiers against a corrupt elite.
- Wagner forces claimed victory at Soledar in January 2023, but the Ministry of Defense initially didn't mention Wagner at all, infuriating Prigozhin
- Prigozhin lost key patron General Surovikin (General Armageddon) who was removed as overall commander in January 2023
- The Battle of Bakhmut from winter 2022 became one of the most brutal battles of the war, with Wagner forces taking massive casualties
- By February 2023, US estimates suggested Wagner had 30,000 wounded or killed, mainly in Bakhmut
- One theory suggests the Russian military deliberately let Wagner forces be worn down in Bakhmut to weaken Prigozhin
" Shoigu, Gerasimov, where is the fucking ammunition? "
" The blood is still fresh. Now listen to me you bitches, these are someone's father, someone's sons. Those pieces of shit that don't send ammunition, those bitches will be eating their entrails in hell. "
Crossing the Line: Public Criticism of the War
In May 2023, Prigozhin escalated beyond complaints about ammunition to fundamentally questioning the war itself and Russia's leadership. He suggested the entire justification for the invasion was false, warned of potential revolution, and made thinly-veiled criticisms that many interpreted as directed at Putin himself. This represented an extraordinary breach of acceptable discourse in Putin's Russia, where no one was supposed to question the war effort.
- Prigozhin complained that the elite's children were partying in Dubai while ordinary Russian soldiers died, though his own children were later exposed doing the same
- He warned that if the divide between elite and soldiers continues, it could end 'as in 1917, with a revolution'
- Prigozhin stated the war's aim to demilitarize Ukraine had the opposite effect, criticizing the strategic decision-making
- He warned that soldiers' relatives could storm the homes of the elite with pitchforks if losses continued
" The happy grandfather thinks everything is fine. "
" This divide can end, as in 1917, with a revolution. "
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