Yevgeny Prigozhin ironically ridiculed Sergei Shoigu and denied him in an official letter, in which the Wagner leader refers to the “combat experience” of the Russian defense minister and calls on him to see the situation in Bakhmut with his own eyes.

Minister of Defense of Russia Sergey ShoiguPhoto: Vadym Savitsky / TASS / Profimedia

It can be seen that Prigozhin is laughing in Shoigu’s face. Although he is the Minister of Defence, he studied civil engineering and began his career in this field, rose through the ranks of the Russian Communist Party, and was then appointed by Boris Yeltsin in 1991 as head of rescue and intervention forces. They absorbed the civil defense forces and retained their military character, and thus Shoigu was promoted to general in 1993 with virtually no military experience.

A letter sent by Prigozhin to Shoigu

  • “At the moment, units of Wagner’s private military company (PMC) control 95% of Bakhmut settlement and continue to attack for its complete liberation. The enemy conducted a series of successful counter-attacks on the flanks of the Wagner PMC, where units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are stationed.
  • Taking into account the difficult operational situation, as well as your many years of combat experience, I ask you to come to the territory of the settlement of Bakhmut and personally assess the situation. Thank you in advance, I rely on your agreement,” Shoigu wrote in the letter.

The well-known British historian of Soviet origin Serhiy Radchenko noted that “Pryhogin is trolling Shoigu, referring to the Minister of Defense’s “many years of experience in leading military operations” (Shoigu is known to lack such experience).”

“Knives on the table. “Probably, Shoigu’s plan is to have Wagner destroyed (in Bakhmut),” Radchenko added.

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