Putin's Mercenary Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin Expected To Challenge Russian Tyrant In Next Year's Presidential Election
March 31 2023, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Vladimir Putin’s mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is reportedly preparing to challenge the Russian leader in next year’s presidential election, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a surprising development to come weeks after Prigozhin made headlines for his ongoing role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sources revealed the Wagner Private Military Company chief is expected to run against Putin in 2024.
According to Daily Star, the first hints about his presidential run came earlier this week when the mercenary chief interviewed with Russian reporters to discuss his political aspirations.
During the interview, Prigozhin was accused of “mimicking” Putin in the way the interview was formatted and how the mercenary chief presented himself and responded to questions.
"Prigozhin seemed to mimic the way that Vladimir Putin films his choreographed public meetings, either to mock Putin quietly or to suggest subtly that Prigozhin could become Russian president like Putin,” analysts from the U.S. thinktank Institute for the Study of War said after the event.
"The choreography and staging of Prigozhin's interview places Prigozhin in the camera's frame at Prigozhin's desk across from his audience in the same way that Putin's filmed meetings and photo ops usually do," the thinktank’s analysis continued.
"Prigozhin's recent behavior — regardless of its intent — is advancing a narrative among Russian society that Prigozhin has larger political aspirations in Russia,” the organization concluded.
Meanwhile, Putin and Prigozhin’s relationship has reportedly soured in recent weeks as a result of the mercenary chief’s success in Ukraine compared to the failure of Russia’s more formal military.
Olga Lautman, a Russian academic who specializes in Russian affairs, revealed this week that Wagner PMC’s success in Ukraine has caused a bitter rivalry between Prigozhin and Putin.
"Over the last year, Prigozhin has become more public and taken on this populist role,” Lautman said. “He has basically been going after Putin's inner circle, including the defense ministry.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Putin and Prigozhin’s rivalry has recently grown so severe that the Russian leader has cut off all communication with the mercenary chief.
“Our ammunition has not improved. But there has indeed been a change,” Putin’s mercenary chief complained earlier this month. “In order for me to stop asking for ammunition, I have had all special communication phones in all offices, in all units, switched off.”
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“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.”
Kremlin insiders revealed that Putin is particularly worried Prigozhin and Wagner PMC are “becoming too powerful” and therefore “posing a threat” to the tyrant’s current claim over Russia.
