'Nervous' Vladimir Putin Cuts Off Communication With Mercenary Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin In Latest Power Play
Vladimir Putin recently cut off communication with Yevgeny Prigozhin over fears the mercenary chief will soon challenge the president’s claim as Russia's leader, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In the latest development to come amid their ongoing rivalry, Kremlin insiders revealed that the 70-year-old Russian leader is “nervous” about the Wagner Private Military Company chief’s apparent “bid for power.”
In an effort to hinder Prigozhin from “vying for his job,” Putin has reportedly ordered all communication between the mercenary chief and the Kremlin to be immediately cut off.
"Over the last year, Prigozhin has become more public and taken on this populist role,” Russian analyst Olga Lautman recently said, according to Daily Star, before adding that the Wagner PMC chief is allegedly plotting a “power grab.”
Prigozhin himself confirmed “all special communication phones” between his forces and Moscow have been “switched off” – although the mercenary chief alleged it was a result of his constant pleas for additional ammunition.
“Our ammunition has not improved. But there has indeed been a change,” Putin’s mercenary chief said on Thursday. “In order for me to stop asking for ammunition, I have had all special communication phones in all offices, in all units, switched off.”
“They have blocked all passes to the agencies that make decisions,” Prigozhin continued. “I will not name them so as not to discredit them in any way. So now I can only ask through the media.”
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As RadarOnline.com reported, Putin ordered Prigozhin and his mercenaries to withdraw from Ukraine in February over fears Wagner PMC was “becoming too powerful” and “posing a threat” to Putin’s claim over Russia.
“This appears to be a parting of the way after Prigozhin had been openly critical, even abusive to senior military figures in the regular forces,” Russia expert Bruce Jones said at the time, indicating Putin is starting to now view his once loyal mercenary chief as “a potential rival.”
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Putin and Prigozhin’s alleged rivalry started earlier this year after the mercenary chief falsely claimed his forces successfully occupied the Ukrainian town of Soledar in January without the help of the Russian military.
The Wagner boss then disrespected Putin and the Kremlin further by dismissing Moscow’s generals as “a bunch of clowns” more preoccupied with “how many times [Russian soldiers] ought to shave” rather than the ongoing conflict against Ukraine.