Prigozhin later said he was talking about Gerasimov. The blunt comment caused a social media uproar, where it was seen as a reference to Putin. He declared that while his men were dying due to the Defense Ministry’s failure to supply ammunition, a “happy granddad is thinking he’s doing well,” and then referred to that “granddad” with an obscenity. In another recent video, Prigozhin made a statement that some have interpreted as a thinly veiled attack on Putin himself. With his crude remarks, Prigozhin ventured into areas where only Putin had gone before: Over the years, the Russian leader occasionally broke decorum with an earthy remark or off-color joke, while top officials used carefully worded language. It has pushed the man dubbed “Putin's chef” for his lucrative Kremlin catering contracts to the forefront of Russian politics and signaled his growing ambitions. Prigozhin’s feud with military leaders goes back years and spilled into the open amid the battle for Bakhmut that was spearheaded by his mercenaries. While there are no indications Putin is losing influence, “there are growing signs of deep dysfunction, anxiety, worry about the war and real problems in marshaling the resources necessary to fight it effectively,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Prigozhin's blistering criticism went on even though the Kremlin vigorously cracks down on other critics through fines and imprisonment. The dispute has been followed closely, however, by politically active, ultrapatriotic Russians on social media networks who share his contempt for military leaders. But in a shift, Channel 1 showed an unscheduled news broadcast Friday that cited the Defense Ministry’s rejection of Prigozhin’s claim and describing as fake a video he posted that allegedly showed the aftermath of a rocket strike on a Wagner camp. The conflict has been ignored by state-controlled TV, where most Russians get their news. Some saw that failure to squelch the infighting as a sign of potential shifts in Russia’s political scene that sets the stage for more internal battles. Until now, Prigozhin’s rants against the military have been met with silence from Putin and the brass. Prigozhin’s statement was a “stab in the back of the Russian troops,” the FSB said, and amounted to fomenting armed conflict in Russia. He even made what some considered a thinly veiled jab at President Vladimir Putin as an oblivious “granddad” thinking the invasion was going well. Those who don’t give us ammunition will be eaten alive in hell!” “You are sitting in your expensive clubs, your children are enjoying good living and filming videos on YouTube. “They came here as volunteers and they died to let you lounge in your mahogany offices,” Prigozhin declared. Valery Gerasimov, calling them weak and incompetent, blaming them for the carnage. Yevgeny Prigozhin accused them of not providing him with munitions in the key battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut.Ī video in May showed him standing in front of the bloodied bodies of his slain troops yelling obscenities at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff Gen. For months, the outspoken millionaire head of the Wagner private mercenary force bombarded Russia’s military leaders with expletive-ridden insults in a rift that has weakened the country’s forces amid the war in Ukraine.
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