Prigozhin spent a week begging for shells for PMCs from the Ministry of Defense and eventually received them

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On February 22, the day after the president's address to the Federal Assembly, a rally-concert in support of the war was held in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. In addition to the broadcasts of federal channels, one could also watch rap to the song “Katyusha” and other performances on VKontakte and YouTube. Putin himself also performed at the concert. But instead of traditional enthusiastic and supportive comments, online broadcast chats were filled with calls to provide Wagner PMC fighters with shells.

By that time, PMC mercenaries had been publicly criticizing the Ministry of Defense for almost a week. “Normal deliveries” of shells were also demanded by the founder of the PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Right on the day of the concert, he sent a photograph of a dozen dead bodies to Vladlen Tatarsky, a military correspondent, and said that they were Wagnerians who died in one day due to a lack of shells. The founder of the PMC blamed the Ministry of Defense for this.

Prigozhin against the Ministry of Defense

The conflict between Prigozhin and the Ministry of Defense has been dragging on for several months. In October 2022, he supported the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who called General Alexander Lapin "a mediocrity" who is covered by the General Staff. “Ramzan, handsome, burn,” Prigozhin wrote and suggested sending “these scumbags” [apparently representatives of the Ministry of Defense] to the front barefoot and with machine guns. The Ministry of Defense did not comment on this. Soon Lapin was removed from his post.

In December, the Wagnerites criticized the head of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov. They recorded a video in which they complained about the lack of ammunition and called Gerasimov a "faggot" and "fucking hell." The ministry did not comment on this either, but in January 2023, after the capture of Soledar near Bakhmut, the press service of the department did not mention the participation of the Wagnerites, although they participated in it.

Then Prigozhin complained that the merits of his fighters are constantly trying to "belittle". He also stated that there is a struggle against PMC Wagner in the media: they are allegedly trying to ban even the mention of the company. After that, in a briefing by the Ministry of Defense, for the first time, the successes of the Wagnerites during the assault on Soledar were noted . And the story had to be commented on by the press secretary of the president, Dmitry Peskov, who said that everyone was doing a common thing - "fighting for the motherland."

#GIVE THE SHELL TO WAGNER

On February 16, four armed men who introduced themselves as Wagner PMC fighters recorded a video message that their unit was “completely cut off from the supply of ammunition” and asked for help from the Ministry of Defense. On the same day, Prigozhin confirmed that his fighters were on the video, and added that he would seek supplies even if they wanted to jail him for "discrediting" the army.

A few days later, Prigozhin stated that the Wagner PMC was experiencing "complete shell hunger", although there was ammunition in the country. Unnamed interlocutors allegedly told him that the supply of shells would be if he apologized to those who were sitting "upstairs". The Ministry of Defense noted that the ammunition is delivered as soon as possible, and "attempts to make a split play only in favor of the enemy." Prigozhin called this statement "a spit on the Wagner PMC" and accused the chief of the General Staff Gerasimov and Shoigu of "trying to destroy" his military company.

for about six months At the same time, PMC Wagner has been called one of the most effective units of the Russian army . Now the mercenaries are advancing with heavy losses on the Ukrainian Bakhmut, the hottest spot on the front in recent months. During this time, “military correspondents” began to write complimentary about Prigozhin — the authors of pro-war channels that publish reports of military operations.

"The train started moving"

On February 22, after sharing a photo of the dead Wagnerites, Prigozhin urged the Russians to demand "shells for the Wagners." near the building of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow was detained Already in the evening , Sergei Zaitsev, the head of the pro-military movement Call of the People, . He was standing in the picket with a banner “Give ammunition to Wagner PMC”.

According to Zaitsev, "representatives of the department" asked why he supports PMCs. He replied that the mercenaries lacked ammunition and needed help. He was told that the Ministry of Defense PMC Wagner did not owe anything, "let them manage themselves as they want." Zaitsev was taken to the police station, but an hour later he was released without a protocol.

And the next day, February 23, Prigozhin said that he was informed that the shipment of ammunition was starting, and added: “Most likely, the train has started.”

Is everything possible for Prigogine?

Talk that Prigozhin is a possible successor and has the support of the president continues throughout the year. The Russian invasion of Ukraine brought him unprecedented fame in the country and the world, believes political scientist Tatyana Stanovaya . Despite this, he has never been close to the president, his position in the elite remains fragile, and his relationship with the authorities may end abruptly. Putin never perceived Prigozhin's company as a replacement for the army or special services: in his understanding, resources such as PMCs should work to strengthen the state, and not undermine it.

In mid-February , it became known that Prigozhin was completely removed from recruiting prisoners. He himself wrote about this to the deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Sverdlovsk region Vyacheslav Vegner in response to his request about the possible recruitment of female prisoners. Prigozhin did not indicate who exactly removed him, but advised Wegner to contact the Ministry of Defense.