“Russia got scared and withdrew troops” from Kyiv in the first days of the war, said the founder of Wagner’s mercenary group, quoted by Sky News.

In an interview with pro-Kremlin strategist Konstantin Dolgov, published in Telegram, Yevgeny Prigozhin said: “We approached Kyiv, then, as they say in Russian, ran into each other, and I left. Then we disbanded and retreated to Kherson, then to Izyum, Liman… And somehow nothing came of it.”

Although it described the invasion as a “special military operation” in Donbas and Luhansk region, Russia attacked Kyiv from Belarus at the start of the invasion in February 2022. However, Russia retreated in the face of strong Ukrainian resistance and then a counteroffensive that threatened to encircle its troops. Russian troops also withdrew from Izyum in September, which led to the discovery of mass graves, and Kherson in November.

Praise of the army of Ukraine

Prigozhin assessed the Ukrainian army as “one of the strongest armies”, adding: “They have a high level of organization, training and intelligence, they have various weapons.”

The leader of Wagner’s mercenary group says that the Ukrainian military works with any military system, be it the USSR, NATO, or other countries, and is equally successful.

“I am completely unmoved by the losses they suffered. Everything is moving in the direction of achieving the ultimate goal, as we were during the Great Patriotic War. But better organized,” says Prigozhin.

He also touched on the recent invasion of Belgorod, which he blamed on “saboteurs”: “Our defenses are not ready to defeat them in any way…”

Prigozhin says that there may be a revolution like in 1917

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner’s mercenary group, has warned that Russia could face a revolution similar to the 1917 revolution and could lose the conflict in Ukraine if the country’s elites do not get seriously involved in the war, Reuters reports.

Ukraine will try to surround Bakhmut and advance on Crimea, he added.

“Most likely, this scenario will be unsuccessful for Russia, so we should prepare for a full-scale war,” he said in an interview published on his Telegram channel.

Prigozhin: “We can lose Russia to hell”

“We are in such a state that we can lose the hell out of Russia – that’s the main problem… We need to introduce martial law,” continued the leader of the Wagner group.

Prigozhin stated that his political vision is dominated by love for the country and service to Putin. He called the nickname “Putin’s cook” silly because he can’t cook, joking that “Putin’s butcher” would be a more appropriate moniker.

He said Russia’s elite protected their own children from combat during the war, while the children of ordinary Russians died on the front lines, a situation he said could spark unrest in Russia.

If ordinary Russians continue to meet their children in zinc coffins and the children of the elite sunbathe abroad, he said, Russia will face upheavals similar to the 1917 revolutions that led to civil war.

• “They could capture all of Belgorod” / The Kremlin says that it was liquidated, but the Russian “partisans” spoke at the press conference