Wagner Chief Prigozhin Settles Kadyrov Feud by Phone
The head of the Wagner Group of mercenaries fighting for Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said he has resolved his dispute with the president of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov which has played out on social media.
Prigozhin's comments on Telegram form the latest chapter in a feud between the pair in which Kadyrov ally, Adam Delimkhanov, criticized the Wagner chief for suggesting that the Chechen Akhmat battalion was not capable of occupying Ukraine's self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic.
Prigozhin had said on May 31 that the Chechen units under the command of Kadyrov, who is fiercely loyal to Vladimir Putin, could hold only some but not all areas of the region.
This combined image shows Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov (left) and head of the Wagner Group of mercenaries Yevgeny Prigozhin. In a post on his Telegram channel, Prizgozhin said on June 3, 2023, he had settled a dispute with Kadyrov. Getty Images
Delimkhanov responded by saying "you needn't know about our capabilities and our goals," adding that Prigozhin was merely a "blogger who screams and shouts to the world," referring to the Wagner boss' repeated criticism of the Russian defense establishment.
But on Saturday, Prigozhin posted an audio message on his Telegram channel in which he suggested that the pair had come to an agreement. "I got a call from Ramzan, we talked and agreed that we would put a brake on the whole story," he said. "The conflict is settled."
Prigozhin then went on to defend his criticism of the Russian defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, saying: "I do not believe they are fulfilling their duties." Because of a lack of ammunition, such as shells, "a large number of my people were killed," he added.
Prigozhin also suggested that Kremlin factions were trying to stoke the discord between him and Kadyrov.
"In the Kremlin towers, dangerous games have become frequent," which were conducted by those who "do understand what they are doing at all," he said.
"They are simply destroying the Russian state," he added.
Prigozhin and Kadyrov have become key figures in Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Prigozhin said in May that his Wagner fighters had taken control of the eastern city of Bakhmut and would be replaced by conventional Russian forces. Kadyrov's fighters have also been playing a prominent role in the conflict.
On Thursday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that the criticism of Prigozhin from Chechen officials could be part of a Kremlin plot to undermine the mercenary boss as his troops withdraw from the frontlines.
The think tank said that the Wagner boss might be in a "more vulnerable position than when the Kremlin relied on his forces to capture Bakhmut."
Newsweek has reached out to the Kremlin for comment.
Source: Newsweek
