According to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, Russian President Vladimir Putin could find himself facing a “revolution” due to the growing outrage over the war in Ukraine.
During an interview with pro-Kremlin blogger Konstantin Dolgov, Prigozhin unleashed a profanity-laden tirade, singling out Russia’s elite for shielding their children from the military draft, as reported by The Times.
As per The Times’ translation, Prigozhin criticized the privileged class, accusing them of indulging their children with luxurious lifestyles while the sons and daughters of ordinary citizens return home in coffins, their bodies torn apart.
“I recommend that the elite of the Russian Federation gathers up, bitch, its youth and send them to war,” he exclaimed.
Prigozhin argued that the apparent indifference of the elite, living comfortable and carefree lives, could spark widespread outrage and potentially lead to a “revolution.
” He envisioned a scenario where working-class citizens, driven by fury, would storm the opulent “villas” of the privileged class armed with pitchforks.
Drawing a historical parallel, Prigozhin ominously alluded to the Russian Revolution of 1917, where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were overthrown by the discontented populace.
He suggested that the current situation might culminate in a similar outcome, posing a serious threat to Putin’s regime.
These alarming comments emerge amidst claims of victory by Russian forces, including members of the Wagner Group, in Bakhmut over the weekend.
However, Ukraine vehemently contested this assertion, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy informing G7 leaders in Hiroshima that Ukrainian soldiers were still engaged in the fight for control of the region.
While Prigozhin’s volatile attitude and his criticisms of Putin are becoming increasingly shocking, the Russian president remains heavily reliant on the military prowess of Wagner’s army, making it challenging for him to take punitive action against Prigozhin.