The war in Ukraine has been a very bloody war since the beginning, but it is also a war based on communication. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Putin's government has shown the same images of alleged victories again and again. However, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Russian mercenary group called Wagner, has advised the public to be careful with what they see and believe.
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Several sources have already suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using propaganda to show his military action in Ukraine as more successful than it actually is. Currently, the Russian Ministry of Defense has claimed another success. It argues that the Russian military has killed over 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers in two days. But the Wagner chief has urged the public to question this statement, as he says it is 'absurd science-fiction', according to the Daily Mail.
Yevgeny Prigozhin publicly accuses Putin of lying
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 100 tanks and other vehicles were destroyed and 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in only two days. In an interview published on his Telegram channel, Yevgeny Prigozhin strongly condemns this report, calling it 'wild and absurd science-fiction'.
According to his calculations, the Russian military would have had to seize 150 kilometers of territory every day to achieve this type of 'success'. The Wagner chief said the Russian government's goal is to highlight the good progress made by their military and to 'pretend everything is fine', but this is all pointless, according to him. He argues this strategy will only end in more defeats for the Russian army.
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Wagner chief has been criticizing the Russian army for a while
This is not the first time that the Wagner chief has openly criticized Putin's army. As German media Merkur reports, Prigozhin has long criticized the Russian military and defence chief Sergei Shoigu for unnecessary bureaucracy as well as corruption.
Following a withdrawal of his troops, he has also announced that his private militia will only continue fighting for Russia in Ukraine if it is separate from the Russian army, which he describes as 'clowns who turn people into meat', according to the Daily Mail.
Read more:Vladimir Putin could be losing close military ally in Russia as alleged feud escalates
This article has been translated from Gentside DE.
Sources used:
Daily Mail: Wagner chief slams Russian claims of huge losses inflicted on Ukraine as 'absurd science fiction'
Daily Mail: Wagner chief says his mercenaries will only fight on in Ukraine if they are separate from the Russian army 'clowns who turn people into meat'
Merkur: „Von Clowns geführt“ – Prigoschin spottet gegen Putins Armee