Prighozin and Wagner: Towing the hardline

Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prighozin - popularly dubbed as ‘Putin’s chef’ - has been a wanted figure of American FBI for quite a time by now. Considered one of Vladimir Putin’s closest cronies among those within the Russian president’s inner circle, Prighozin is also one of the founders as well as the current controller of the notorious mercenary group known as the ‘Wagner’.

The Wagner Group is a special force of trained and hired assassins, recruited by the officials of the Russian Federation for undertaking critical operations within the enemy territory. Founded in 2014, this group initiated their campaign during the annexation of Crimea. Since then, Wagner has participated in various major conflicts not only within the Eastern European territory but also on other parts of the world like the African countries.

They are also heavily involved in the Syrian civil war where they are fighting alongside the Russian Armed Forces, in support of Assad’s cause. They have been active in the Donbas region of Ukraine for the past eight years, with their actions becoming more intense after Russia’s invasion of the country began earlier in February this year. The United States is recently looking to brand the Wagner as a ‘terrorist’ group due to their ongoing antics throughout the world.

And indeed, several reports have come up in the past where members of Wagner were accused to be affiliated with ‘Neo-Nazism’ or ‘far-right nationalism’. This coincides with ‘Slav supremacy’ that many Russians strongly believe in to this day. In fact, one of the group’s co-founders named Dimitry Utkin has openly displayed Nazi-symbolic tattoos in his body in a photograph.

Utkin is a well-known war-hardened veteran of the First and Second Chechen wars, with a disturbing complexion that may make many uncomfortable. However, such is to be expected from a man who has seen and survived many bloody battles, especially the likes of the Chechen wars (which are considered one of the bloodiest post-world war conflicts). Utkin is also considered a reliable ally of Putin. At present, the man is mostly working undercover as a ‘shadowy’ agent. Hardly surprising, considering the fact that the entire organization of Wagner has the sole purpose of operating ‘in the shadows’.

Beginning with a very small number of people in 2014 (around 250), the group at present has around forty thousand employees working for it. It even has a headquarters now, located in Saint Petersburg in Moscow. The Wagner has been very active in some of the devastating battles of the Russo-Ukraine war, notable the ‘Siege of Mariuopol’. Mariuopol is quite a large city with around 160 sq km and had been contested between the two forces over the first four-five months of the Ukraine war, which ultimately ended in Russian victory.

The siege was - and still is - a bloody one that resulted in heavy casualties for both sides and several civilians had been killed due to constant artillery bombardment during those months. The Wagner had played a major role among other battalions in securing Russia’s victory in the battle. Many believe this victory was the one that made the Wagner come into the spotlight, considering the intensity and ferocity of the battle. Currently, they are playing the pivotal role in the ongoing battle of Bakhmut, in the eastern outskirts of Donetsk.

Bakhmut is only around 41 sq km, yet the city is considered to be of extreme strategic importance to the Russians. Besides, there is also the case of psychological warfare which the Russians currently appear to be losing. After two months of successful Ukrainian counteroffensive (which began in September), the Russians have been on the back foot in several key regions of the East and South. Significant among them are Kharkiv (in the East) and Kherson (in the South), where the Russians had been routed off completely. Many Russian experts and military bloggers see it as a ‘black page of Russian history’ while Western analysts constantly use the term ‘humiliation’ to cite the country’s defeats in these parts.

However, these reactions are to be expected considering the fact that Kherson is one of the four large Ukrainian regions that Russia has annexed earlier in 2022, with what Putin claimed ‘would be Russia’s forever’. Combining all of these factors together, it can well be understood why Bakhmut is being desperately wanted by Russia. The city is desired by the Russians more so for political importance rather than simply for making military gains.

In the event Bakhmut falls, Vladimir Putin will be able to improve his degrading political position within the Russian community. Putin might have the advantage of convincing the Russian public that their cause is not yet lost and victories like this are very much possible to accomplish. After all, capturing a forty-one kilometer square city is by no means a small feat.

Over the last couple of months, several Russians expressed doubts over the prolonged warfare and its impacts. The Western allies of Ukraine – who are being led by the US – have imposed overwhelming sanctions in order to cripple the Russian economy. Surprisingly, so far, Russia seemingly managed to withstand Western pressures in a remarkable fashion. Perhaps the major reason behind this would be the income from the gas exports that Russia is enjoying to this day.

The Nord Stream pipeline runs from Russia to many European countries, Germany and France being some of them. Putin previously threatened a good number of times to cut off the gas supply to Europe in response to the sanctions - a move many Westerners have scathingly dubbed as ‘gas sabotage’. Recently, an investigation is being going on over the explosion of the pipeline (which took place on 26 September last year).

This explosion is believed to be caused by sabotage groups from one of the NATO countries or Ukraine. Russia’s request to the UN Security Council for an independent investigation into the matter has been outright rejected, further promoting the suspicion that Western European countries are behind this attack. If so, this would be the biggest sabotage attack in the history of Europe - post World War II.

The eastern part of Bakhmut has been taken over by the Wagner forces, as well as some parts of the North and South. The battle has recently turned into a ‘war of attrition’ with heavy urban fighting taking place on a daily basis around the city centre. A recent report from Russian sources claimed that Wagner had reached the city centre of Bakhmut and Ukrainian forces appear to be retreating to the Western side of the town. Only one major supply route remains open to the Ukrainian brigades in that city (from the Chasiv Yar direction) and even that route is not safe, as it is being subjected to constant artillery bombardments.

Ukrainian president Zelensky has ordered his forces to remain there for as long as possible without retreating. He insisted that his forces are staying there in order to ‘bleed out the enemy’s manpower and equipment’. Yet despite incurring losses, Wagner is still showing signs of advancement deeper into the city. Which is why many Western officials (US prominently) urged Zelensky to ‘tactically withdraw’ his troops for now and take back the city with fresh, replenished forces later in a counteroffensive (like Kharkiv and Kherson). Zelensky - however - is adamant in his decision to hold Bakhmut.

The big question is - if Bakhmut is indeed of no strategic importance, why are both sides sacrificing so much manpower and resources over this city? Zelensky was forced to admit in February that the fall of Bakhmut would open the routes for Russia towards the big cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. For Putin, a victory would promote a new beginning for perpetuating the war.

* Chowdhury Taoheed Al Rabbi: Student and freelance writer