Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, said on Wednesday that they should be allowed to the russians criticize the high military officialsafter lawmakers toughened penalties for discrediting Vladimir Putin’s forces fighting in Ukraine.
Last Tuesday, the lower house of the Russian parliament passed a law imposing severe prison sentences for those who criticize mercenaries, including members of the Wagner group, a measure that previously only applied to troops in general.
Prigozhin said Wednesday that the Russian people should feel free to express their opinion and that only soldiers are free from criticism. “I believe that the law against smear should not apply to command personnel, that is, to me, the Defense Minister and other leaders who make or may make mistakes during a special military operation,” Prigozhin said on Telegram, referring to the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
“Society should say what it thinks necessary about them”, he stressed. “Only the soldier is sacred, so the soldiers must remain immune,” he added.
The Wagner boss, an ally of President Putin, has been involved for months in a power struggle with the Defense Ministry, claiming battlefield victories ahead of the Russian Army and accusing the military of not sharing ammunition with its troops.
Prigozhin also insisted that he did not “discredit” anyone. “I only tell the truth”he pointed out, while adding that his statements were examined by his lawyers.
“Of course, anyone can be jailed, and so can I. But in that case, we must not forget that 146 million Russians could also be imprisonedwhich is a road to nowhere,” he explained.
Sanctioned by Washington and Brussels, Prigozhin had operated for many years remaining in the shadowsbut it has become the center of attention since the start of the offensive in Ukraine.
Wagner’s boss has tried to present his forceswhich have been leading offensives against cities in eastern Ukraine, including Bakhmut, as more efficient than the regular Russian Army.
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