A former convict turned Kremlin caterer, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his shadowy private military group Wagner have taken a prominent role in Russias 16-month offensive on Ukraine.Friction between Prigozhin and the Russian Defense Ministry has risen as the war has dragged on, ultimately reaching a breaking point Friday when Prigozhin accused military leaders of striking Wagner camps and launched an armed insurrection.Below is a timeline of Prigozhins oftenexpletive-laden confrontations with the Russian military that have boiled over into the currently unfolding rebellion against the Defense Ministry.September-October 2022Prigozhin issued his first criticism of Russias Defense Ministry after he publiclyadmitted to being the founder of Wagner and President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization.Prigozhinjoined the Kremlin-allied Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in arguing that Russias military should primarily mobilize members of the security and state services instead of civilians.Ramzan, youre the man, fire away, Prigozhin said through his press service in an Oct.
1 post slamming the Russian forces withdrawal from occupied Ukrainian territories.All these scumbags [in the Russian military should be sent] to the frontline with guns and bare feet, Prigozhin said.The discontent was deemed significant enough to be included in United States President Joe Bidens daily intelligence briefing, The Washington Postreported in October, citing anonymous sources.Itsaid Prigozhin had felt comfortable enough to voice his frustration about the Defense Ministry and Shoigu directly to Putin, in a sign of his rising influence.
Prigozhin denied communicating personally with Putin at the time.January-February 2023After brieflyfeuding with the governor of Russias second city of St.
Petersburg where Wagner lateropened its headquarters, Prigozhin stepped up his criticism of the militarys war effort.The Wagner founder raised concerns about the Russian forces slow progress amid heavy battles in the eastern Ukrainian cities ofBakhmut andSoledar.
He alsoaccused the Russian military of attempting to steal victories from Wagner.Prigozhin had spearheaded Wagners months-long efforts to capture Bakhmut, a key symbolic prize for Russia despite its relative lack of strategic importance.In February, afterannouncing the end of Wagners prisoner recruitment, Prigozhin slammed Russias monstrous military bureaucracy and leadership forlow supplies of munitions that had slowed progress in Bakhmut."This can be equated with high treason," Prigozhin said in one of the first direct accusations.After calling on Russians topress the top brass for stockpiles, Prigozhin said the Defense Ministry had relented and announced the shipment of ammunition.March-April 2023The truce appeared to be short-lived as Prigozhin again claimed betrayal over the militarys continuing lack of deliveries to Wagner mercenaries.In order to stop me from asking for ammunition, [Russias government] turned off all special phone lines [] and blocked all passes to the decision-making offices, Prigozhinsaid.Russian lawmakerspassed legislation introducing long jail terms for anyone criticizing mercenaries in a movedismissed by Prigozhin, who argued that Russians should be free to criticize top military commanders.May-June 2023The arms delivery saga has escalated after Prigozhin surrounded by the bodies of dead Wagner soldiers threatened to pull out of Bakhmut.Shoigu, Gerasimov, where the f*ck is the ammunition? hefumed, claiming days later that the Russian army had promised him armaments.Prigozhin laterclaimed that Russias Defense Ministry broke that promise and threatened to charge Wagner with treason if they withdrew from Bakhmut.Heaccused the Russian army units of fleeing their positions due to stupid and criminal senior military commanders orders.As one of his last stands, Prigozhinrefused the Defense Ministrys orders for volunteer detachments to sign contracts with the military by July 1.
The Akhmat military unit was the first to sign that contract, signaling the Chechen leader Kadyrov shifting alliances away from Prigozhin and back into the Kremlins fold.Finally, hours before announcing the rebellion against military leadership on Friday night, Prigozhinquestioned the leaderships casus belli for invading Ukraine and escalated his criticism of Shoigu for poorly planning the war and embarrassing Russias military.Shoigu killed thousands of the most combat-ready Russian soldiers in the first days of the war, he charged.The mentally ill scumbags decided Its okay, well throw in a few thousand more Russian men as cannon fodder.
Theyll die under artillery fire, but well get what we want, Prigozhin continued.Thats why it has become a protracted war.