Will Kadyrov's troops replace the Wagner group in Bakhmut? Perhaps it is a power struggle. This could also be indicated by secret documents.
Washington, D.C./Moscow - A power struggle is underway in Moscow - not a new thesis. But one that could now be confirmed by leaked documents from US possession: The renowned Washington Post has received previously unknown information, according to its own statements. They apparently point to a tough struggle by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin for influence in the Kremlin. It's about the leak about the American Jack Texeira.
The alleged will to withdraw from Bakhmut could be a final push in Prigozhin's struggle, the paper speculated. But the outcome is open. The new documents could also provide insight into the Kremlin's reaction to Prigozhin's repeated verbal ricochets - apparently a discrediting campaign was discussed. The rumored mercenary castling in the Ukraine war could also appear in a new light: At the weekend, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced his intention to take over the Wagner post near Bakhmut.
Publicly discredit Prigozhin? U.S. documents show alleged plans at Shoigu
The findings suggested that the Kremlin was "frustrated" by Prigozhin's harsh public attacks, the Post writes. Prigozhin had repeatedly fired publicly against the Kremlin in the spring, sometimes claiming that a lack of ammunition was the cause of the deaths of numerous mercenaries. Then he declared again that Putin had cut off all communication channels.
In the meantime, the Russian Ministry of Defense has even considered publicly discrediting the mercenary boss with a straw man, it is now said. According to the Kremlin department, however, this would have required an "ally" with a status comparable to that of Prigozhin, the newspaper quoted findings from the secret US documents.
Russia clueless about its own ammunition deliveries?
As is well known, it did not come to that. "However, they were ultimately undecided on how the Ministry of Defense can wage an information war with Prigozhin if the Russian government does not prohibit Prigozhin from making public statements," it allegedly continues. The data is said to come from intercepted or intercepted ministry communications. It is known that the Wagner boss continues to appear in public - among other things, with the demand for permission for criticism of the Russian military.
Ironically, Shoigu's ministry apparently could not verify whether Prigozhin's complaints about a lack of ammunition were actually true. The supplies were not distributed by the ministry, but by a "task force" in Bakhmut. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. authorities interpreted this as an admission that "Prigozhin's claims may be legitimate." It was not until February that Wagner's demands were at least partially demonstrably met. After further fierce accusations from the mercenary side, Prigozhin was probably summoned to report to Putin.
Putin's strategy fatal for Russia's Ukraine campaign? "Has a harmful effect"
Prior to this, Prigozhin had made further demands on the Kremlin: for example, permission to recruit in prisons again or to allow and facilitate the engagement of mobilized soldiers or Afghan fighters. However, Putin has let the Wagner boss run up, writes the Washington Post, citing wiretapped conversations of the FSB secret service: Prigozhin is to clarify these questions with the ministry of arch-rival Sergei Shoigu.
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The New York Times also recently reported on documents on a Putin-Prigozhin meeting in February. At the time, however, it was said that Putin had wanted to mediate between Prigozhin and Shoigu. However, there was also talk of missing pages in the US records - there is room for interpretation.
In an interview with the Washington Post, political scientist Rob Lee attested to Putin's penchant for a divide-and-rule strategy. On the battlefields of the Ukraine war, however, this turned out to be toxic, he judged. "Putin likes to use competition between different factions to maintain power, but for a military operation it is harmful," he said.
Kadyrov as Prigozhin's replacement: Ukraine scoffs - adviser suspects "bluff"
Meanwhile, it seems that Kadyrov's Chechen squad will indeed take Prigozhin's post in Bakhmut. "I have already signed the relevant notice to the commander-in-chief, saying that Akhmat forces are ready to take control of the city and remove NATO and Ukraine Satanists," Kadyrov said on Telegram on Saturday (6 May), according to the state agency Tass. "We're just waiting for the orders," he added.
From Ukraine, meanwhile, came ridicule for Russia's overall picture in the alleged mercenary castling. "It seems that the private armies are fighting, Wagner, the Kadyrovites... What is Russia's army doing," Ukrainian government adviser Anton Gerashchenko wrote on Twitter. In fact, private mercenary armies play a considerable role in Russia's attack on Ukraine.
A day earlier, however, Gerashchenko had publicly accused Kadyrov of a "bluff": the Chechen would not send his people "to their deaths, as Wagner does," he said. Rather, Kadyrov wants to "get back on the Russian agenda." That would certainly fit in with the speculation about a pure power struggle. The Russian Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky had named Prigozhin and Kadyrov in an interview with Merkur.de as two possible protagonists in the struggle for a successor.
At the same time, it is not the only possible doubt about the plans: even at the beginning of the war, doubts had been raised about the effectiveness of Kadyrov's troops. With a view to a possible Russian attack on Georgia, a military expert had recently even dismissed the Chechens as "guys with Kalashnikovs in Ladas". (fn)
