Russian dysfunction and rivalries at the heart of Putin's regime have been exposed by Bakhmut ✒️ MarkGaleotti
. The reason was simple, and a telling example of how Kremlin politics distort Russian military calculations: Vladimir Putin wanted a victory, however Pyrrhic, and whatever the price.. It has thrown thousands of badly-trained troops recruited from Russia’s labour camps at the Ukrainians. After all, for Mr Prigozhin, they are little more than human ammunition, screening better-trained Wagner elements and forcing the Ukrainians to burn through their dwindling stocks of shells.
Mr Prigozhin is neither a close Putin ally nor a potential successor. Instead, he is an entrepreneur who has made a career out of doing whatever the Kremlin wants doing, whether setting up troll farms to meddle with the US elections in 2016 or, as now, running a mercenary army. As such, he thrives on publicity and attention, and we tend to hear from him loudest when he is on a winning streak or in trouble., because he realises he has been outplayed by the subtle and mercurial Mr Shoigu.
This may just be because the Russians are also having to moderate their usage, but could also represent Mr Shoigu’s revenge. Meanwhile, regular army troops are being moved up to take advantage if the Ukrainians do retreat or are pushed back. One way or another, Mr Shoigu seems determined to deny Mr Prigozhin the chance to portray himself to Mr Putin as the victor of Bakhmut.
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