The pace of Russian troop advances in the Bakhmut region of eastern Ukraine has likely slowed in recent days, the Institute for the Study of War says, although it is too early to judge whether the Russian offensive has succeeded in capturing the city. its peak. Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, wants to nationalize the oligarchs’ resources in order to sponsor Russia’s military actions.

In its latest update, the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Russian military bloggers “acknowledged that Ukraine has managed to slightly slow down the pace of the Russian advance around Bakhmut and nearby settlements”.

The military blogger stated that Ukrainian forces pushed back the mercenaries of the Russian Wagner company to the positions they occupied a few days ago.

Earlier, Ukrainian sources on social media claimed that Kyiv troops completely pushed out Russian troops from the eastern outskirts of Bakhmut around Wednesday.

In its latest assessment, the ISW wrote that Russian forces made less progress in the Bakhmut area in November and December combined compared to October.

Russian forces are likely to find it difficult to maintain the pace of their offensive operations in the Bakhmut area and may attempt to initiate a tactical or operational pause.

Prigozhin insists on the nationalization of the oligarchs’ assets

The Russians could create informational conditions to justify the nationalization of oligarchs’ resources to sponsor Russia’s military actions, ISW writes.

Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin attended the funeral of the group’s mercenary in St. Petersburg on December 24, where he said Russia should confiscate luxury goods and homes from elites who ignore or do not support the war effort for fear of losing their privileged lifestyle. .

Prigozhin added that these wealthy people supported a vision of “Western curators” dominating Russia in exchange for sponsoring their lifestyles.

Prigozhin’s statements about the redistribution of wealth found support on the Russian Internet, and he wants to legalize the Wagner group in Russia.

Wagner-affiliated Milbloggers widely supported Prigozhin’s criticism of Russian officials and praised his support for the war effort.

With such populist proposals, Prigozhin could increase his authority in Russian society or influence a return to stricter measures of nationalization.

However, on December 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin indirectly attacked Russian oligarchs, saying that Russians who siphon Russian money from abroad and have no ties to the country “pose a danger” to Russia.

Putin said that while the vast majority of Russian businessmen are patriots, there are some who do not share these sentiments.

Putin concluded that “everyone aspires not only to stay, live and work in Russia, but also to work for the good of our country.”

Putin previously nationalized big business in the early 2000s to bolster his authoritarian kleptocracy, and he may try to use the nationalization to coerce elites into supporting his war in Ukraine or confiscate their assets to fund military spending.