Wagner Group Boss Accuses Kremlin of 'Deceiving' Putin, Claims Ukraine Invasion Was Based On Lies
June 23 2023, Published 6:05 p.m. ET
Wagner Mercenary Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Russian military officials of "deceiving" Vladimir Putin and claimed the Kremlin leader invaded Ukraine based on lies he was told, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The shocking accusation was the latest attack on Russian leadership from Prigozhin, who has been an outspoken critic of the Kremlin as he continued to lead troops on the frontlines.
On Friday, Prigozhin deepened his feud with Russia's Defense Ministry and Sergei Shoigu, the minister of defense, in a fiery video.
Sergei Shoigu
In a 30-minute video posted to his Telegram page, the Wagner Group boss hurled expletives at Russia's military leadership as he claimed Putin was duped into the invasion.
Prigozhin turned back the clock to the start of Russia's unprovoked assault and insisted "there was nothing extraordinary happening on the eve of February 24."
The Wagner boss called out the Defense Ministry and accused the leadership of fabricating a story to encourage Putin to declare war on the neighboring country.
Yevgeny Prigozhin
"The Ministry of Defense is trying to deceive the public and the president and spin the story that there were insane levels of aggression from the Ukrainian side and that they were going to attack us together with the whole NATO block," Prigozhin continued. "The special operation was started for a completely different reason."
While it appeared Prigozhin was addressing a prior claim from Putin related to Ukraine joining NATO, the Wagner boss turned his sights on Shoigu and threw him under the bus instead.
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Prigozhin slammed leadership over the "poorly planned operation" that was an embarrassing stain on Russia.
"Shoigu killed thousands of the most combat-ready Russian soldiers in the first days of the war," Prigozhin continued. "The mentally ill scumbags decided, 'It's OK, we'll throw in a few thousand more Russian men as 'cannon fodder.' 'They'll die under artillery fire, but we'll get what we want."
The mercenary boss added, "That's why it has become a protracted war."
Sergei Shoigu
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The Wagner Group operated as a private military company comprised of mercenaries under Putin. Due to the Wagner Group's pro-Russia interests, the Defense Ministry supports the mercenaries via equipment and training.
The mercenary group has long been suspected of being used as a scapegoat by the Kremlin to avoid accountability and oversight of foreign affairs and military operations.
