Vladimir Putin allegedly 'cuts off' close ally amid feud, but expert warns there's more to the story

Published on March 10, 2023 at 10:27 AM by Ali Postma

This close ally of Vladimir Putin claims the Russian President has cut him off. Here's what we know.

Vladimir Putin allegedly ‘cuts off’ close ally amid growing feud

The head of Russian mercenary Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has soured to the point he has been cut off.

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Wagner chief has been 'blocked' by the Kremlin

In a message posted on his Telegram channel Thursday 9 March, Prigozhin claimed he has been cut off from all Russian government communication channels because of his recent public pleas for his Wagner forces to be supplied with more ammunition.

Prigozhin said, according to a translation from The Moscow Times:

In order to stop me from asking for ammunition, they turned off all special [government] phone lines in all of the offices and [Wagner] units ... and blocked all [my] passes to the agencies responsible for making decisions.

Prigozhin added:

Now I can only ask [for more supplies] through the media and ... most likely will be doing just that.

Only last month (February), Prigozhin made headlines for accusing Russia's top military leaders of committing 'treason' by purposefully depriving his troops of ammunition supplies.

In Bakhmut, there has been increasingly harsh criticism from Wagner directed at the government it fights for.

Of the huge Russian casualties in this small sector, the vast majority are Wagner fighters.
#WeStandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/SCvMoc2Cpj
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 9, 2023

⋙ Vladimir Putin could be losing close military ally in Russia as alleged feud escalates

Are his criticisms actually a ploy by the Kremlin?

Jason Jay Smart, who is an American political adviser and special correspondent for the Kyiv Post, told Newsweek that there might be more to Prigozhin's public criticisms than meets the eye. Smart said:

He's not going to be attacking the government like he's attacking it unless he's got some official approval. You can't just go out and be saying what he's saying.

Smart added that this 'leads a lot of people to conclude that Putin is trying to put the blame on Shoigu ... He's using Prigozhin to do that'.

Sources used:

Newsweek: 'Kremlin Cuts Off Wagner's Direct Access'

Moscow Times: 'Wagner Boss 'Cut Off' From Official Channels After Public Ammo Plea'

Independent: 'Ukraine-Russia news – latest: Wagner chief says Putin has ‘cut him off’'