Feud Between Top Putin Allies Spills Out Into Open
A feud between two of Russian President Vladimir Putin's top allies—Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov—has spilled out into the open.
Adam Delimkhanov, a close ally of Kadyrov, attacked Prigozhin on his Telegram channel after the Wagner Group boss suggested the Chechen Akhmat battalion likely lacks the capability to occupy the self-proclaimed "Donetsk Republic" region of Ukraine.
Prigozhin, who earned the nickname "Putin's chef" thanks to his catering contracts with the Kremlin, had been pouring his mercenary fighters into the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine alongside conventional troops as part of a push by Moscow to secure its first major battlefield victory in the the war since the summer of 2022. He announced the withdrawal of his troops from the city on May 25, after repeatedly accusing Russia's Defense Minstry of intentionally depriving his fighters of ammunition.
Prigozhin made the remarks about Akhmat—the Chechen combat units under the command of Kadyrov—via the press service of his company Concord on May 31, saying that the battalion may be able to occupy certain locales, but not the whole region. In response, Delimkhanov addressed Prigozhin in a heated video using informal language, declaring that Akhmat is "meeting the goals set by the commander-in-chief," referring to Putin.
This combined image shows Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, in 2016, and Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov, right, in 2018. A feud between the pair has spilled out into the open. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
"If you don't understand, then you can contact us and tell us the place and the time. We will explain to you what you don't understand," Delimkhanov said. "You have become a blogger who screams and shouts off to the whole world about all the problems. Stop shouting, yelling and screaming."
"You needn't know, Yevgeny, about our capabilities and our goals," he said. "This is something that our command and commander-in-chief, who determines those goals, know about, together with the republic's head, Hero of Russia Ramzan Kadyrov."
Speaker of the Chechen Parliament, Magomed Daudov, another close ally of Kadyrov, also lashed out at Prigozhin for his "daily statements" that "sow a mood of panic among our country's population."
"Our fighters also had problems, but this does not mean that a warrior should shout about it. In your statements you hint that someone should be shot. For such words during the Second World War, they would have been immediately put up against the wall," said Daudov.
Prigozhin responded to the pair by saying that he believes he did no wrong by commenting on what he believes are Akhmat's capabilities.
"In regard to my location, all those involved in this discussion know my confidential phone numbers very well and are able to connect with me," he said.
One of Wagners founding members, Dmitry Utkin, a former special forces officer who served in Russian military intelligence, also weighed in on the feud, rebuking the use of informal language in addressing Prigozhin.
"Where did such familiarity come from?" Utkin said in a message posted on Telegram by Prigozhin. "Certain citizens should be put against a wall for the SHAME that we have."
Utkin also said that he's ready to talk "man to man," and that he has known Delimkhanov and Daudov since the first and second Chechen Wars.
Russia last week celebrated the capture of Bakhmut, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected claims the industrial city is entirely under Russian control.
Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.
Source: Newsweek
