Prigozhin asks legislators not to outlaw ‘constructive criticism’ of top military officials

Wagner Group founder Evgeny Prigozhin appealed to the State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, asking him to exclude “constructive criticism” of Russia’s top military officials from the draft law that criminalizes “discrediting” the participants of Russia’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The new amendment to the law against “discrediting the military” is designed to discourage public criticism of the Russian troops taking part in the invasion.

It was Prigozhin himself who’d proposed this amendment, claiming it was necessary to punish all public criticism of his “volunteers,” recruited to join Wagner Group in Russian prisons, in exchange for pardons.

Shortly afterwards, Volodin tasked the State Duma with drafting the new legislation, but Prigozhin is now concerned that the law might be too broadly inclusive in its protections.

Wagner Group and Prigozhin himself have frequently criticized Russia’s Defense Ministry. Prigozhin is known to have used obscene insults in speaking to Russia’s Chief of Command Valery Gerasimov. His concern is not to criminalize public criticisms of Russia’s army command (as well as Wagner Group leadership, he adds).

Prigozhin’s letter to Volodin explains that he wants to avoid criminalizing “public and constructive criticism” of the officials and their actions.